


The Stars at Dawn

by Golden_Asp



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Episode Ignis Spoilers, Fix-It, Grief, I cry writing some scenes, I grow stronger with every tear you shed, Ignoct x 2, It might be a bit confusing with the names, M/M, Older Ignis, Older Noctis, Prompto is a good friend, Romance, Sacrifice, She takes matters into her own hands, Shiva is fed up with Bahamut's shit, Time Travel, and not dealing well, and you're going to shed a lot of tears, but I'll try to make it as clear as possible, dealing with death, it really focuses on Noctis and Ignis x 2, the others are just minor characters in this, younger Iggy, younger Noct
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-22
Updated: 2018-04-10
Packaged: 2018-11-03 19:56:37
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 59,936
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10974279
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Golden_Asp/pseuds/Golden_Asp
Summary: Shiva watched for 2000 years as Bahamut and the others ignored the suffering of Eos, of the Accursed, and later of the chosen king.  She raged against him, disagreeing with his decisions.  After the King of Light returned from the Crystal, she decided she'd had enough.She sent the king and his advisor back.Noctis knew why he was there, why he was looking at his younger self.  After all, he already had the power of kings.





	1. Chapter One

**Author's Note:**

> This idea hit me full force a few nights ago, almost completely realized in my mind, which is rare. Normally I just wing this writing shit and see where the story takes me. I actually have an outline for this one! Doesn't mean I'll stick to it, but whatever. I should've been working on Light, but I had to get this first chapter out. 
> 
> So, here is the first chapter of my first fix-it story, The Stars at Dawn.
> 
> FFXV doesn't belong to me, not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

The Stars at Dawn

_When the gods barred Ardyn Lucis Caelum from the afterlife, Shiva railed against Bahamut and the others. Ardyn had done all that they asked, and his reward was to be turned away from death._

_Bahamut told Shiva that his decision was final; Ardyn Lucis Caelum became the Accursed, wandering the land._

_She watched as that wonderful man fell deeper into madness and craved revenge against the Caelum line._

_Shiva alone walked among the humans. The other gods sat aloof in their heavenly thrones, but she took the form of a messenger and spent time with the Oracle the day. Often she would walk among them, unseen._

_She liked the humans, as much as a god could. They had such passion in their short lives. They lived such short lives that they seized love and let their emotions control so much._

_Bahamut disapproved of her time spent among the humans, but she didn’t care. The Draconian refused to listen to reason, even as the Accursed began changing the land, the people, into creatures of darkness._

_A prophecy was ‘gifted’ onto the Caelum line, and again Shiva disagreed with the others. Leviathan told her she cared far too much for the sacks of mortal flesh. Shiva froze Leviathan’s tail for that insult._

_Shiva watched as Caelum after Caelum was introduced to the Crystal— another gift of the Draconian— secretly praying that their child would not be the one chosen to be the King of Light._

_She watched as a wonderful young boy named Noctis was chosen by the Crystal, by the gods. She watched as his father’s face crumpled with the knowledge that his son would die._

_She watched as another young boy was brought into the prince’s life. She watched as they grew closer._

_She watched as the Accursed One sent one of his daemons to attack the royal convoy. She watched as the prince nearly died, and his young chamberlain fretted about him._

_She met the prince in Tenebrae, when his father had taken him to meet the Oracle, in hopes that the prince could be healed._

_She raged at her inability to save them all when the Accursed One sent his imperial soldiers to attack Tenebrae. The destruction of her true form by the empire and the Accursed One severely limited her abilities._

_How could the gods be so callous to their chosen one’s suffering?_

_Shiva watched the young prince from afar. He healed, and she watched as the prince and his chamberlain slowly fell in love._

_She tried to get the king and Oracle to tell the prince the truth, but they never did._

_The king sent the prince and his chamberlain away with the prince’s best friend and his shield. The Oracle stood beside the king and they knew what was coming._

_Shiva watched as the prince became the king, and as his suffering increased. She would have offered her covenant to him immediately, but the Oracle asked her to wait. She loved the Oracle, and would do as she asked._

_The king gained the covenant of Titan, and Ramuh. The group left for Altissia._

_The king got the covenant with Leviathan, but the Oracle died._

_The advisor sacrificed his sight for the man he loved above all others._

_They made it to Gralea, and Gentiana revealed her true form to the king, sealing the covenant with him._

_She watched in silence as the king was absorbed by the Crystal. The advisor struggled in the ten year night, and Shiva tried to keep his spirits up._

_She raged against the Draconian as time passed. Finally, the king was released from the Crystal._

_She watched as the king and the advisor held each other after the king told him the truth. He was on his way to die._

_She watched as they tried to find a bright spot of happiness in the short time they had together._

_Enough was enough._

_Once, she had given the king the ability to visit her Astral memories, giving him the opportunity to escape reality for a period of time, and to get stronger._

_Not this time._

_She would give him the chance to change things, the chance to have the life he didn’t get to live._

_She stood above them, staring down at them. They were curled together, limbs tangled together, skin glistening with sweat. She leaned over and pressed her lips against the king’s, and then the advisor’s._

_They shivered, ice running through their veins._

_“Go in peace, king of kings,” she whispered._

_King Noctis Lucis Caelum and Ignis Scientia were gone._

_The Draconian screamed at her._

_Shiva smiled._

FFXV

Prompto sat on the ground next to Gladio, half watching Noctis fish and half paying attention to his phone. Ignis was still in the haven, working on dinner. Night had just fallen, stars slowly coming to life in the sky.

“I’ll be right back, I gotta take a piss,” Prompto said, lurching to his feet.

“Really don’t care, blondie,” Gladio snorted, glancing up at him.

“I’m just making sure you know where I’m going just in case I get eaten by something.”

Gladio laughed again and shoved him away. 

Prompto grinned and walked off into the bushes. He made sure he was still close enough to hear Gladio gently ribbing Noctis about the fish he had caught.

He undid his fly and sighed as he relieved himself. He hummed to himself, shaking off and tucking himself back into his pants. He wiped his hands on his pants and looked up, freezing in shock.

There was a body in the bushes, a horribly familiar body.

“Ignis?” he whispered in horror. He threw himself next to Ignis and grabbed the taller man’s shoulder and shoved him over. He swallowed a scream.

Oh gods, what had _happened_ to him? He had been fine when they had left the camp less than an hour ago!

“Ignis?” he whispered, covering his mouth. His left eye was covered with a scar, and Prompto could see other scars across his face, and he had faint lines around his right eye and mouth. He looked older. He was incredibly pale; Prompto could swear he could see veins beneath his skin. A visor lay on the ground next to his head.

“GLADIO! NOCTIS!” he screamed, holding Ignis close to him. Noctis was going to flip.

FFXV

Noctis glanced back when he head Prompto stand up and walk away.

“Where’s Prompto?”

“Had to take a piss,” Gladio said, not looking up from his book.

Noctis snorted and turned back to the river. His bobber disappeared under the water and he began to reel in a good sized fish. He grinned when he pulled another nebula salmon. That was six in one hour. Ignis would be thrilled.

Noctis was just about to recast his line when Prompto’s screams shattered the night. He and Gladio stared at each other for a moment, and then took off towards the bushes Prompto had disappeared into to take care of his business.

They burst through the bushes and froze. Prompto sat on the ground, Ignis’ body in his lap. Prompto had tears running down his face.

Gladio hit his knees next to them, immediately feeling for a pulse. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was there, beating steadily under his fingers. He looked at Ignis’ face, shocked at the scars.

They looked old.

Gladio glanced up at Noctis, still standing beside them. Noctis was white, his eyes wide as he stared down at Ignis. 

“Ignis?” Noctis whispered, staring at his lover’s face. Oh gods, what had happened? They had only left him alone for an hour! How could this have happened?

“I don’t know what happened,” Prompto sobbed.

Ignis stirred.

“Don’t move, Ignis,” Prompto said, his voice loud in the night. 

Ignis flinched. “What on Eos are you shouting for, Prompto?”

Noctis knelt next to Ignis, his hand trembling as he reached forward. His fingers hovered just above the scar on the left side of his face. His right eye was closed.

“Ignis, what happened to you?”

Ignis whipped his head towards Noctis, his face set in a frown. “What do you mean ‘what happened’? You know what happened to me.”

“You were fine when we left the camp an hour ago!” Noctis cried. It was hard to look at Ignis. How could this have happened, and why did Ignis think he knew about it?

“Camp?” Ignis asked, running his hand over his face. They hadn’t camped in years. The moment Noctis had come back from the Crystal the four of them had set out for Lestallum. They had wanted to take some time to reacquaint themselves. Ignis and Noctis had wanted some time to hold each other, especially after Noctis had told him the true price of being the Chosen King.

Ignis opened his right eye, blinking. Gladio sucked in a horrified breath when he saw the stone grey iris looking blankly at him.

“Oh gods, are you blind?” Gladio asked, finally speaking up.

Ignis shot him a nasty look. “Of course I’m blind, you fucking behemoth.”

Noctis’ eyes widened in shock. Gladio arched an eyebrow. He always suspected that Ignis had a temper. Prompto swallowed a hysterical giggle. He had never heard Ignis curse like that.

Ignis pulled away from Prompto and slowly stood up. “I don’t know what kind of joke the three of you are playing, but I do not find it amusing in the least. I have been blind for ten years. The three of you should know that. It happened it Altissia, as I’m sure you all remember.”

They looked at each other. Noctis swallowed.

“Ignis…we haven’t been to Altissia yet. We planned on leaving in a week. We’ve been taking as many hunts as possible to save gil for the trip.”

Ignis’ right eye widened. Noctis found his eyes watering as he stared into that sightless, stone colored eye. He loved Ignis’ eyes. 

“Ignis…” he whispered. Ignis’ hand shot out, and his fingers collided with Noctis’ face. Noctis stood completely still as his fingers ran over his cheeks. 

No. Oh gods, no! It wasn’t right. This face wasn’t right. It was clean-shaven, clearly much younger than him.

Ignis let out a horrified cry and his knees buckled. Gladio managed to catch him around the waist, lowering him to the ground.

Ignis reached out. Noctis grasped his hand. 

Ignis struggled not to break down. This wasn’t _his_ Noctis. 

Ignis covered his mouth with his free hand. This wasn’t possible.

FFXV

Ignis walked quickly back to the haven, cloves of garlic in his hand. He had noticed the garlic as they had walked to the haven hours ago, but they had been so tired that they had just sat around for a couple hours. Noct and others had gone to the nearby fishing spot about an hour ago. Ignis was hoping he caught something. Fresh fish would be divine.

He frowned as he walked back into the camp. Noctis stood with his back to Ignis, staring into the distance. There was something strange about him, but besides his hair being down, he couldn’t put his finger on it.

“I thought you were going to be fishing a while longer,” Ignis remarked, balancing the garlic.

Noctis turned, and Ignis dropped his garlic.

That the man before him was Noctis Lucis Caelum he had no doubt; he would recognize those eyes anywhere. Those blue eyes widened in shock. Ignis stared at the man. His hair was longer, and was that grey hair at his temples? He had a beard, and his resemblance to King Regis was shocking.

Noctis walked forward slowly. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ignis’. They were green, oh gods, his eyes were green. 

This wasn’t right, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from getting closer to the man in front of him. Ignis was frozen, his eyes wide as Noctis reached up and slid his glasses from his face. He set them on the table and raised his hand to the left side of Ignis’ face, fingers running over the unmarred skin.

Ignis swallowed. He could see fine lines around Noctis’ eyes. What had happened to Noctis? He had looked like his normal self when they had left to go fishing, albeit tired.

But not as tired as the man in front of him.

Ignis tried to speak, but he found his words trapped in his throat. He didn’t move as calloused fingers traced the left side of his face, his right eyebrow, the bridge of his nose, his lower lip.

Noctis stared at him, committing the color of his eyes to his memory. Gods, he had nearly forgotten how vibrant and alive Ignis’ eyes had been before Altissia.

He had no idea what was going on.

FFXV

“Let’s go back to the haven,” Gladio said, helping Ignis to his feet. Noctis couldn’t tear his eyes away from Ignis’ face. 

What in the hell was going on?

Gladio went to help Ignis navigate, but the man tore his arm from the shield’s grip. “I am perfectly capable of walking, thank you very much.”

Gladio lifted his hands in surrender. “Sorry.”

Ignis took a deep breath. “I apologize, Gladiolus, I should not have snapped at you. I appreciate you trying to help, but I have been blind a long time. I am used to it.”

Gladio swallowed, glancing at Noctis. He could see that Noct was trying to blink back tears. It was hard enough seeing his friend like this, he couldn’t imagine what Noctis was feeling.

Ignis looked resigned. He had no idea what was going on, or how he’d come to be in the company of his companions, only ten years younger than him. He remembered Noctis telling him about Umbra and how the messenger dog would send him back, but hadn’t Noctis said that the others were never really aware of the fact that he was different?

Noctis walked silently next to him, glancing at him out of the corner of his eye.

Ignis was blind. 

Something bad happened in Altissia, that much was clear. Noctis suddenly didn’t want to go. It wasn’t worth it if this is what happened to Ignis.

They came into the clearing and crested the haven. Noctis froze, his mouth falling open in shock.

 _His_ Ignis stood in front of another man. The man was running his fingers over Ignis’ face, and Noctis realized he was touching the places that the other Ignis had scars.

His eyes locked on the other man’s face. For one wild, hope filled moment, he thought he was looking at his father.

“Holy shit!” Prompto said, looking back and forth between the four men, “there’s two of him! And two of you!”


	2. Chapter Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis and Ignis cook, Prompto thinks he's starving, Ignis gets his first Ebony in eight years, Noctis sees the stars.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay.  
> Anyway, here's the second chapter. I think young Ignis would have a hard time looking at his older self and seeing the scars, so that's going to be a theme going forward.
> 
> I hope you all enjoy this, let me know what you think!

“Holy shit!” Prompto said, looking back and forth between the four men, “there’s two of him! And two of you!”

Noctis spun, hands falling away from the young Ignis’ face. His eyes widened, first seeing a younger him, then Gladio and Prompto, and—

“Ignis!” He cried, lunging across the camp and colliding with _his_ Ignis.

The elder Ignis ran his hands over Noctis’ face, breathing hard. This was right, this was his Noctis, his king.

He crushed Noctis to him in a hug.

Noct stared at the two men hugging. He stared at himself. His eyes darted to his Ignis, hastily shoving his glasses back on his face. 

Prompto and Gladio just kept looking back and forth between the men, clearly confused.

“What’s going on, Noctis?” The elder Ignis asked, thumbs tracing his beard.

“I have no idea, Ignis,” he said softly, turning his head to take in his younger companions. "The last thing I remember we were in Lestallum.”

“Indeed,” Ignis said. He lifted his head, and the younger Ignis’ eyes widened and his face went white.

Gods above, what had (would?) happen to him?

“Um…why don’t we sit down?” Prompto said, trying to break the sudden heavy silence.

“Good idea,” Gladio said. He dragged one of the coolers over to the ring of chairs and sat on it. Prompto sat on the ground next to him. Noctis directed Ignis to one of the chairs and sat beside him.

The younger Ignis didn’t move, still pressed against the stove. Noct finally took his hand and dragged him over. He could feel the other Noctis’ eyes on them.

The six men sat there, wanting to stare at each other but clearly uncomfortable. Their eyes darted away the moment they looked.

Noct watched his older self through his eyelashes. What had happened, would happen, to put that sad expression in his eyes? His eyes fell to the elder Noctis’ right hand, and his breath caught in his throat.

The Ring of the Lucii.

Oh gods, he had the ring.

It made sense, of course, when Noct actually thought about it, but seeing it on his older self’s finger made him feel suddenly and inexplicably ill.

He lifted his eyes to find Noctis staring right at him, blue eyes sad. Noct ducked his head, turning to look at his Ignis instead.

“Okay, I’ll say it,” Gladio said after the silence grew to be too much. “What the fuck is going on here?”

“Clearly, they’ve gone back in time,” Prompto muttered.

“Thanks, chocobo butt,” Gladio snapped.

“I am not a chocobo butt, you freaking behemoth!”

“Enough!” The younger Ignis snapped. Gladio and Prompto fell silent.

“Can you tell us?” Noct asked, looking between the two older men.

Noctis leaned back in his chair, staring at his younger self. He remembered when Umbra would send him back. The others had never been aware that he was different, that he had the Ring of the Lucii in his pocket.

This was different. This felt…real.

“When are we?” he finally asked.

“They leave for Altissia in a week,” the elder Ignis said.

Noctis flinched slightly. He sighed, trying to relax. “So, you’re on your way back to Caem for final preps to leave?”

“Yup,” Gladio said.

Noctis nodded again. “Then I would prefer to tell you when we get to Caem. I only want to explain it once, and Cor and the others deserve to hear it as well.”

Ignis sat in silent surprise next to his king. Should they really tell them what was coming? He had already let slip that Altissia was an undeniable clusterfuck. He started when he felt a gentle hand touch his, and he opened his fingers to Noctis. His Noctis.

His Noctis that he had never truly seen. The Noctis in his mind’s eye was the one sitting across from him; younger, hair swept up, before the weight of destiny truly bore down on him. It bothered him.

“Ignis,” Prompto started.

“Yes?” Both Ignis’ asked at the same time.

“Uh...” Prompto looked between the two of them, looking frankly bewildered.

“Yeah, that ain’t gonna work,” Gladio said. He leaned forward on the cooler. He pointed at the older Ignis. “You’re Ignis, he’s Noctis,” he pointed at the older Noctis. He turned to face the prince and the younger Ignis. “You’re Noct, you’re Iggy. Can we all deal with that?”

“Works for me,” Noct said. “Iggy?”

“Yes,” Iggy said, glancing at the older men.

Ignis shrugged. It would make it easier. He turned his head towards Prompto. “Did you have a question for one of us?”

“I ah…don’t remember, honestly,” Prompto said, scratching the back of his head and giggling.

Iggy looked discreetly at his older self, stomach in knots. He was blind. He was going to lose his sight. His gloved hand clenched on his lap. It wasn’t fair.

He let out a deep breath. No, he couldn’t think like that. Noctis—Noct—was the only thing that mattered.

It was still hard to look at Ignis, look at Ignis and wonder what the hell happened.

Prompto fell back, clutching his stomach. “I’m starved,” he moaned.

Gladio whacked him on the leg. “Noctis and Ignis come from the future and all you can think about is your stomach?”

“Hey! They said they’d explain when we got to Caem. We’re not at Caem right now, and right now, I’m hungry!”

“I caught those fish,” Noct said.

“How many?” Noctis asked with interest.

“Six nebula salmon.”

“Hmmm,” Ignis said. He remembered that nebula salmon weren’t the most plentiful at this time of year. That Noct had caught six seemed to be…strange. Or a godsend. 

“I’ll go get them,” Iggy said, standing up. His eyes darted to Ignis, and then away. It was _hard_ to look at him. Iggy walked away, quickly disappearing into the night.

Noct stared after him, a frown on his face.

“You should go after him,” Ignis said softly. Noct spun in his chair, looking at Ignis.

“What?” he asked stupidly.

Ignis squeezed Noctis’ hand. “I imagine it’s not easy for him to see me, and he would greatly appreciate you coming after him.”

Noct glanced at Noctis. The older man nodded.

Noct stood up and headed for the edge of the haven. 

“Hey, grab my book while you’re there!” Gladio yelled after him.

Noctis looked back at Gladio and Prompto, his eyes running over them. They were tan, the paleness of his Gladio and Prompto, trapped in ten years of darkness, nowhere to be seen. He had forgotten about Gladio’s undercut, and what Prompto’s chin looked like sans goatee.

He sighed and leaned back, looking straight up. He gasped. 

Ignis’ hand spasmed in his. “What? What is it?” 

“Stars,” Noctis said wonderingly. “I can see the stars.”

Gladio and Prompto looked at each other, silently wondering why something as simple as the stars would bring tears to both Noctis and Ignis’ eyes.

FFXV

Iggy stood on the dock, staring into the river. There was no moon, and it was incredibly dark. The cooler full of fish sat at his right. He hadn’t touched it. 

He listened to the water rush by, the gentle pops of fish breaking the surface, the breeze through the trees, a daemon roaring in the distance. He closed his eyes, trying to imagine living his life in darkness, never being able to see Noct’s face again.

His eyes snapped open and he covered his mouth.

Gods in heaven he was going to go blind.

“Ignis?” 

He turned. Noct stood just behind him.

“You should call me Iggy,” he said softly, “to get used to it.”

Noct nodded. “You okay?”

Iggy gave a half shrug. “I honestly don’t know what to think, highness.”

“Noct. Just…call me Noct.”

“Of course.”

Noct stepped up and wrapped his arms around Iggy’s waist. “I’m not going to let that happen to you,” he said fiercely.

“Noct—”

“No. They said they’d tell us what happened, happens, whatever. And that Ignis said whatever happened to him happened in Altissia. I’m not going to let it happen. I’m not going to let you be hurt like that.”

Iggy’s arms tightened around him, burying his face in his hair. He wanted to say it didn’t matter if he went blind, because Noctis clearly still loved Ignis.

But he couldn’t. He couldn’t say anything. He just held his prince tight to his body and tried not to think about the other them sitting in camp.

After a few minutes, Noct reluctantly pulled back. “We should probably take those fish back to camp.”

“Indeed,” Iggy said, picking up the cooler. Noct grabbed Gladio’s book—another bodice ripper judging from the cover—and they headed back to camp in silence.

FFXV

Noctis stared at the stars, mouth open in silent awe. Gods, he wished Ignis could see this. Ignis’ hand tightened in his, and Noctis finally looked at him. Gladio and Prompto were watching them curiously. He smiled at them.

“You guys seem to be taking the fact that we’re here pretty well,” Noctis said.

Prompto shrugged. “Honestly, weird shit happens around you, I mean, Noct—oh my gods this is going to get so confusing! Anyway, we’ve seen gods and daemons. What’s two men from the future?”

Ignis smiled slightly and then tilted his head. “I believe the others are back.”

Iggy and Noct walked back into camp. Iggy dropped the cooler by the cooking station and opened it.

Six fat salmon. He reached in and started pulling them out, slapping them one by one on the table.

“Going to take some time, I’m afraid.”

“Aw man!” Prompto said, flopping back dramatically. “Iggy, I’m going to die if I don’t eat _right now_!”

Noctis snorted. “We can assure you, you’ll live.”

Gladio bit back a laugh at the expression on Prompto’s face.

Ignis stood up and joined his younger counterpart at the table. “It may go faster if I assist,” he said quietly. He knew the younger man didn’t quite know how to act around him. He understood, he would’ve felt the same way if their roles were reversed.

“Ah, oh, of course,” Iggy said, surprised. “I would appreciate the help.”

Ignis smiled, hand running quickly over the cooking station. Yes, it was set up the exact same way. He remembered where everything was. 

Iggy watched the blind man move with ease around the stove, scaling the fish. Something eased inside him. He could still cook then, that was good to know.

“Do we have any vegetables or seasoning?” Ignis asked.

“Yes, here,” Iggy handed him some spices. “We also have some zucchini, and I have some fresh garlic somewhere…” He looked around. Where had he dropped that garlic?

“Here,” Noctis said, picking it up and tossing it to him. “Make sure that goes in with the zucchini.”

Iggy nearly dropped the garlic again. He stared at Noctis. Gladio stared at Noctis. Prompto stared at Noctis. Noct stared at Noctis. Ignis snorted at the sudden silence.

“What?” Noctis asked, looking at the others.

“There is no way you’re Noctis,” Prompto said. “Noctis _hates_ vegetables.”

Noctis laughed and Ignis chuckled, peeling the garlic. “Trust me,” Noctis said quietly, glancing at Ignis, “fresh vegetables actually become something good. Still hate carrots though. And tomatoes.”

“Tomatoes aren’t a vegetable, Noctis,” Ignis said.

“Semantics,” Noctis said with a grin. “They’re still gross.”

“Okay…maybe you are Noctis,” Gladio said cautiously.

Iggy wondered what happened to make Noctis like vegetables. Fresh vegetables clearly became something of a rarity. He stayed silent, slicing the zucchini while Ignis crushed the garlic. 

Noct watched the two men work on dinner. It was surreal, seeing two Ignis’ moving around the camp. He had to admit he really liked the older Ignis’ hair. His eyes kept darting between the two men.

“Here,” Gladio’s voice broke him out of his thoughts. Gladio pushed a drink into his hand.

“Thanks,” Noct said.

“Dinner is served,” Ignis said, setting the last of the plates on the small camp table.

“Oh, thank the gods,” Prompto said, bounding to his feet and grabbing one of the plates. He bit into it, moaning lewdly. 

“I’ll have what he’s having,” Gladio said as Prompto kept moaning.

Ignis chuckled and held a plate out to Gladio. Gladio took it, sitting back on the cooler and biting into the fish.

“Mmm, Prompto’s right though, this is really good.”

Noct took his plate, poking at the zucchini. He ate the fish, humming in appreciation. Iggy sat next to him as Ignis moved slowly towards Noctis. His foot nudged the chair and he sat down, carefully balancing his plate.

Noctis took his plate and ate, closing his eyes. He and Ignis ate slowly, savoring every bite of fresh caught fish and fresh vegetables. Noctis thought it might be the single best meal he’d had since Altissia. 

“Oh, hey!” Prompto said suddenly, shoving Gladio off the cooler. 

“Hey!” Gladio yelped.

Prompto shushed him and dug through the cooler for a moment, finally pulling out a can of Ebony. He half scurried, half crawled over to Ignis. Ignis lifted his head, confused as to why Prompto was making some very strange noises.

“Here, here!” Prompto said excitedly, grabbing one of Ignis’ hands. Noctis watched with a smile. Ignis felt something cold and cylindrical pressed into his hand. He frowned, running his fingers over it.

“Ebony,” Prompto said, suddenly blushing. “I just figured…ya know, since it seemed like you hadn’t had veggies in a while, you’d really like it? I’m…just gonna go hide behind Gladio right now.”

Ignis blinked in shock. Ebony. He hadn’t had an Ebony in almost eight years. He sets his empty plate carefully down on the ground, very aware of everyone watching him. He reached out and managed to grab Prompto’s jacket.

“Prompto,” he said.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you,” Ignis said.

Prompto beamed. “You’re welcome!”

“You’re going to be his favorite person, now,” Noctis said dryly, watching Ignis crack the can and take a cautious sip. Ignis shuddered. Gods, that was good. 

“You are going to be on such a caffeine high,” Noctis said with a laugh.

“Shut it,” Ignis said, taking another drink. “You never appreciated this fine beverage.”

Iggy snorted. Some things didn’t change, apparently. Ignis’ reaction to the drink made him wonder again about the future.

“How long has it been?” Gladio asked. “Since you’ve had one?”

Ignis took another drink, running his thumb over the lip of the can. “Eight years,” he finally said.

The younger men traded glances. They were getting more and more curious, and scared, about whatever these men had gone through.

Iggy stood up after a moment and collected everyone’s plates, pushing the scraps into the garbage. He listened as the others talked about Ebony and other drinks, Noctis and Ignis never really giving any direct answers. 

It was frustrating. They said they would tell them, and Iggy had to believe that they would. He found his eyes drifting back to Ignis, over the scars half hidden by a reflective visor.

His stomach tightened and he dropped his eyes. He half dreaded finding out what had occurred in Altissia. 

The other half needed to know, because he knew he was going to drive himself crazy fretting about it.

Prompto flopped backwards, staring up at the sky. “I’m beat, guys. I’m going to bed.”

“We have a tent, you know,” Gladio said, kicking Prompto’s boot.

Prompto sat up, looking at the others. “I don’t think all six of us are going to fit in the tent,” he said seriously.

Noctis smiled. “Ignis and I will stay out here. Give us a couple extra blankets and maybe a pillow. We’ll be fine. The weather’s great, the fire is warm. And yeah, six guys in there would be a tight fit.”

Ignis hummed in agreement, taking another slow sip of Ebony.

Noct unzipped the tent and pulled out his sleeping bag. He could share with Iggy for the foreseeable future. Half the time they ended up in the same one, anyway. He dragged out one of his extra pillows, passing them to Noctis. 

“Where do you want to set this up, Ignis?” Noctis asked, standing up with the sleeping bag and pillow in hand.

“Wherever, majesty,” Ignis replied without thinking.

Noct sucked in a startled breath. Majesty. His eyes darted to Noctis, to the ring on his finger. It hit him like a chocobo kick to the face.

Noctis was the king, not him.

Noctis had the ring, presumably had the Royal Arms, the covenants with the gods.

Noctis met his eyes and they stared at each other in silence.

Gladio dragged Prompto to the tent, shoving the blonde inside. Gladio disappeared after him, confused. He looked at Noctis, and he saw a king, a true king. He looked at Noct, and he still saw a boy trying to evade his fate.

What in the hell happened, would happen, to change him so much in ten years? Gladio unlaced his boots and got into his sleeping bag.

Iggy watched as Noct realized that Noctis was truly a king. His heart twisted. Ignis sat completely still, wondering if he screwed up.

Iggy finally walked over to Noct. “Come, we should rest. We have a long drive tomorrow.”

Noct leaned into Iggy, looking up at him with wide eyes. Iggy rested his forehead against Noct’s, not saying anything.

Noctis stared at them. He suddenly knew why he was there, why he was watching his younger self. It had been there, in the back of his mind, from the moment he had laid eyes on the young Noct, and Iggy. He had just ignored it.

He was king. He was the Chosen King, King of Stone, King of Light. He had the Ring of the Lucii, all thirteen Royal Arms, and the covenants with five Astrals.

He could change it. 

He could give Noct and Iggy a different future, a better future.

Noct’s Ignis would never have to give up his sight. Noct wouldn’t have to spend ten agonizing years in a damn crystal. They wouldn’t have to live through ten years of darkness.

He watched as Iggy pulled Noct into the tent.

Noctis reached a shaking hand to Ignis. Ignis took it, immediately sensing that something was wrong.

“Noctis?”

“I know why we’re here,” he whispered.

Ignis frowned at him.

Noctis told him.

The two men sat in silence, the only sound the gently crackling of the fire. 

“We should rest, too,” Noctis said finally. “If you can sleep after your caffeine boost.”

Ignis smiled tightly. Noctis set up the sleeping bag and tugged Ignis over to it. Ignis sat down, and Noctis sat in between his legs. Noctis leans back against Ignis, the blind man’s arms wrapping around him.

“Noctis?” Ignis whispered.

“Yeah, Ignis?”

“Tell me about the stars.”

Noctis rested his head on Ignis’ shoulder, staring up at the stars. He thought about how long it had been since Ignis had been able to see stars.

In a soft voice, he told Ignis about the stars.

In that moment, they were content.

Gods knew what the next day would bring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For simplicity's sake, Ignis and Noctis will always denote the older pair, Noct and Iggy will always be the younger from this point forward. Sorry if the first half confused anyone. It confused my fingers while I typed it.
> 
> Comments and kudos are love.


	3. Chapter Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iggy and Ignis don't really know how to act around each other, Gladio and Iggy go for a run, the Regalia makes an appearance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Please enjoy.

Ignis held Noctis’ sleeping body against his. The fire crackled behind him. He lifted his head, inhaling. The world smelled so different than the one they had come from. It smelled fresh, clean. The very air felt different against his face.

He dropped his head and inhaled Noctis’ scent. To be entirely frank, the king needed a shower desperately. Between rationing water and rationing electricity, showers and bathing had become a bit of a luxury in that world of ruin. His arms tightened around his king.

Was Noctis right about the reason he was here? Was he really here to change things?

Ignis just didn’t understand why _he_ was here. The gods didn’t require him for the dawn to come back, only the king. He bit back an angry sob.

It had been what, only a month since Noctis had reappeared from the Crystal? They had headed to Lestallum. Noctis had needed to see the extent of the damage of the long night, and he needed to spend time with Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto.

Noctis had pulled him into his room, and told him what he hadn’t told the others. He had to die to bring back the sun. Ignis could remember the intense joy at having Noctis back by his side, only to have it torn away with the king’s words.

Ignis had raged, and Noctis had held him. They had made love that night, desperate and messy. 

Cor Leonis had debriefed Noctis. Noctis had told Ignis later that Cor had looked sad, and far older than his years. It didn’t surprise Ignis. Cor had become the de facto leader in the long night, especially after Gladio and Ignis had blown up at each other less than six months after Noctis’ disappearance. Cor worked hard to keep their spirits up. 

A month had passed. The four of them went on hunts, half to relearn how to fight together, half to let Noctis see the world. They had returned to Lestallum, and Ignis and Noctis had fallen into bed together.

And then…he had woken up here, to Prompto panicking, Gladio asking if he was really blind, and a young Noctis freaking out about his scars.

He had been terrified. He had thought he was alone. He had thought he had lost his Noctis again. His relief at having his Noctis beside him was immense. 

He lay back, staring sightlessly at the stars. The breeze blew softly. He could hear the river nearby, and Noctis’ steady breathing. He sighed, his eyes finally sliding shut.

Noctis was with him, and that would have to be enough for that moment. 

FFXV

Iggy held Noct to him. The sleeping bag was cramped with both of them in it, but he didn’t think he’d be sleeping any time soon. Every time he closed his eyes, he wrenched them open again, eyes darting around wildly to make sure he could still see.

He was absolutely terrified of going blind. 

He listened to Gladio and Prompto breathe, and concentrated on the feeling of Noct’s breath against his neck. He knew he should sleep, but he couldn’t.

There was no way he could sleep knowing that Noctis and Ignis were outside the tent. What had happened to them? What were they doing here? What would it mean for Noct that Noctis was clearly king?

He let out an annoyed huff and shimmied out of the sleeping bag. Noct groaned, curling into a ball. Iggy carefully put his boots back on and unzipped the tent, easing out into the night. 

He glanced at the sleeping forms on the edge of the haven. Noctis and Ignis were curled around each other, arms and legs tangled together.

Iggy watched them for a moment, heart in his throat. He turned away, suddenly ashamed for staring. He couldn’t imagine what they had been through. Truth be told, he didn’t want to imagine it.

He walked over to the cooking station and started cleaning it up. Dawn wasn’t too far off. The faster they could get to Caem, the faster they would find out what happened, what had brought Noctis and Ignis from the future.

He kept his back to them, focusing intently on cleaning the dishes. He knew he wouldn’t be sleeping anytime soon.

FFXV

Ignis woke immediately when he heard the zipper to the tent. He waited, keeping his eyes closed and breathing even. He heard nothing for a moment, and then a soft, pained gasp.

Ah. His younger self then. 

How strange it was to think that there were two of him at this very moment of time. Him, older, jaded, blind. And Iggy, who seemed so much younger than he had felt at the time. He listened as Iggy moved around quietly. He thought he was cleaning up the cooking station.

It didn’t really surprise him that Iggy couldn’t sleep. He was having trouble sleeping as well. Knowing that his younger, unscarred, self was there and could see Noctis…it bothered him a little. He could never truly know what Noctis the king looked like. He could feel the planes and curves of his face, his beard under his fingers, his lips, but the Noctis in his mind’s eye would always be twenty year old Noct.

He wasn’t sure how long he had lain there, listening to Iggy move quietly around the camp. He kissed Noctis on the forehead and eased himself to a sitting position.

“I hope I didn’t wake you,” Iggy said softly.

“You didn’t. I don’t sleep much anymore.”

“Ah…I…”

“It’s fine, Iggy,” Ignis said gently. “I understand.”

Iggy looked away. He couldn’t look at the gentle expression on his older self’s face. He checked his watch. It was almost eight. He looked to the east. The sun was finally starting to rise. The longer nights were starting to worry him.

“It’s almost sunrise,” Iggy said, staring into the east.

Ignis sucked in a breath, eye wide. “Dawn…oh gods…”

Iggy whipped his head back around. “What? What did I say?”

Ignis ignored him, shaking Noctis hard. “Noctis, Noctis, you’ve got to wake up.”

Noctis’ eyes snapped open. “What’s up, Ignis?”

“Sunrise,” Ignis whispered, his hand tightening on Noctis’ shoulder. Noctis’ eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet. He grabbed Ignis’ hand almost painfully, watching in undisguised awe as the sun rose above the horizon.

“Can you tell?” Noctis whispered.

“Yes,” Ignis replied, his own voice heavy with sorrow. 

“My gods, it’s beautiful…” Noctis said, arm going around Ignis’ waist. Ignis closed his eye. He could feel the sun on his face.

He could feel the sun.

He covered his mouth, biting back a sob.

Noctis spun and held him close. Ignis’ knees buckled, and Noctis lowered him to the ground, holding him. He pressed gentle kisses against Ignis’ face, kissing his tears away.

Ignis never imagined he’d be able to enjoy a sunrise with Noctis. And yet here he was, ten years in the past with Noctis’ arms around him, the sun burning in the sky.

Noctis felt his own tears roll down his cheeks, catching his beard. He hadn’t thought he’d ever be able to see the sun again, not in this life.

He wasn’t sure how they had ended up here, but at that moment, he didn’t care. He was thankful that he got to experience this sunrise with Ignis.

Iggy stared, eyes wide. He didn’t understand. How could something as simple as a sunrise provoke such a reaction from those men? Yes, the nights were getting longer, but surely the sun still rose in the east in the future, right?

He couldn’t tear his eyes from the two men. They were kneeling, both crying, holding each other as the sun washed over them. They were beautiful in that golden light.

He took a shuddering breath, and Noctis lifted his head and looked right at him. They stared at each other for a moment, blue eyes meeting wide green. 

Iggy looked away, unable to bear it. He stood up, and started cleaning the cooking station again, even though it was already clean. His hands shook slightly, and he clenched his fists.

Noctis watched Iggy sadly for a minute. He tried to imagine what the younger man was going through, and he couldn’t, not really. What would his reaction be when he found out everything that had happened?

He turned his attention back to the man in his arms. 

“He’s having a hard time of it,” Ignis said softly. “He is lost, confused, and afraid. He sees us and he can’t fathom what is to come.”

Noctis ran his fingers through his hair. “How do you know?”

“Because I am him and he is me. I put myself in his shoes and I am terrified. I know I will lose you no matter what, and I am so very afraid of being alone.”

Noctis didn’t say anything. He just hugged Ignis to him and watched Iggy carefully ignore them, heart burning in his chest.

FFXV

Gladio woke next, staring at the roof of the tent. Prompto was curled next to him, and Noct was on the far side of Prompto. 

He remembered. Noctis and Ignis had somehow joined them from the future. Things were weird. 

He got up and rolled out of the tent. Ignis and Noctis were sitting on the edge of the haven, talking quietly. Iggy sat on the other side of the haven, looking patently miserable. Gladio waved to Noctis and Ignis and walked to Iggy, dropping down beside him.

“You sleep at all?”

Iggy looked at him, circles under his eyes. “No.”

“Come for a run with me,” Gladio said, clapping Iggy on the shoulder. “Nothing like a morning run to work through some issues.”

Iggy sighed. “Alright. Let’s go.” He stood up and took his leather jacket off, folding it carefully over the back of a chair.

Gladio looked at Ignis and Noctis. “We’re going for a run. Be back in a few.”

Noctis waved at them. 

Gladio and Iggy stretched, and started a light jog. They moved in silence, listening to the sounds of the forest around them. Gladio picked up the pace, and Iggy matched him stride for stride. Gladio grinned. They hadn’t worked out together for a while. Since they had left Insomnia, one of them had been with Noct at all times, and it hadn’t left much time for them to work out.

“How far we going?” Gladio asked after a while. Iggy hadn’t said a thing.

“If we circle back now, it’ll be a three mile run,” Iggy said, barely out of breath.

“Got it. We should probably head back and make sure Prompto’s not harassing Noctis and Ignis too much.”

They turned and started heading back for the haven. Iggy burst into a sprint, Gladio hot on his heels. Iggy saw the haven come into view, and he leapt onto it, half collapsing. Gladio joined him, hands on his knees, breathing hard.

“Better?” Gladio panted.

Iggy nodded, taking off his glasses and wiping his face. “Yes. Thank you.”

Noct and Prompto were awake, mostly. Noct blinked at them. “How you get up so early every day is beyond me.”

Gladio grinned, taking off his shirt and throwing it at Noct. 

“Ew! Gross, Gladio! I don’t want your sweaty shirt.”

“Come running with us and I won’t throw it at you,” Gladio said, dropping into one of the chairs.

“Hell no,” Noct said, tossing it back. “Been there, done that.”

Noctis watched them with a fond smile. Ignis stood at the cooking station, whipping up a quick breakfast. Iggy saw him, and looked momentarily lost. That was his job, wasn’t it?

He turned away, ducking back into the tent and changing his clothes. He stared at his hands and sighed, going back out.

“Here, breakfast,” Noct said, handing him a plate. 

“Thank you,” Iggy said. He glanced at Ignis. “And thank you for cooking.” His voice was soft, tentative. He still wasn’t sure how he felt about it.

The food was delicious though. It was good to know he could still cook. 

“We heading out soon?” Prompto asked from his spot on the ground.

“Yeah,” Noct said. “Just gotta pack everything up.”

“Let’s get started then,” Gladio said. “We have a long drive if we really want to reach Caem today.”

“Got it,” Noctis said. 

The six men worked in silence, folding up sleeping bags, putting the chairs away. Ignis folded away the cooking station, moving easily. Noctis stacked the coolers while Gladio put the tent away.

“We got everything?” Prompto asked.

“We do,” Iggy said. 

“Cool. It’s not far to the road,” Gladio said. 

They walked through the forest until they reached the road. Noctis nearly dropped the cooler.

“Oh my gods, the Regalia!” he whispered. He set the cooler down and walked forward. Noct watched him, confused. 

Noctis ran his fingers over the metal of the car, walking slowly around her. He paused, head bowed. He didn’t know why he hadn’t realized that they’d be driving the Regalia, but it hadn’t until he had seen that car sitting in the parking spot.

He swallowed hard, eyes burning. Gods, he missed his dad, even after all this time.

Ignis set down his chairs and moved forward slowly, hand out until it touched the side of the Regalia. He ran his fingers over the smooth metal, remembering. How many hours had he sat in the driver’s seat? How much time had they spent in this car? He felt a pang of regret that he would never be able to drive her again.

The others watched the two older men reunite with the car, trading confused looks. Something had clearly happened to the Regalia.

Noct glanced at Iggy. He nodded briefly. 

“Hey, Noctis!” Noct said.

Noctis looked up. Noct tossed him the keys. “Wanna drive?”

Noctis caught the keys with a surprised look. “Really?”

Noct shrugged, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Noctis smiled, running his finger over the keys.

“Noct! Where are we all gonna sit?” Prompto hissed. It had been a tight squeeze when Iris had ridden with them, and now they had two more men.

“Noctis is driving, Ignis can sit in the passenger seat. I’ll sit on Iggy’s lap and you sit on Gladio’s.”

“Great, I get bony ass bones on my thighs,” Gladio said with a grin, smacking Prompto on the butt. Prompto yelped, covering his butt.

“I have an ass. Iggy’s gonna have the real bony butt grinding into his thighs. Plus, you have such meaty thighs you won’t feel it,” Prompto said.

“You both suck,” Noct said with a laugh. He glanced at Iggy, who was watching Noctis and Ignis. “You okay with this, Iggy?”

Iggy’s eyes darted to Noct. “Of course. It’s fine.”

Gladio put everything in the trunk, closing it with a snap. He handed Ignis an Ebony, and the blind man nodded his thanks. He slowly opened the passenger door and eased himself into the seat.

How strange and yet familiar it felt to sit in this car again. He listened as Noctis got in the driver’s seat. 

Noctis ran his fingers over the wheel, smiling softly. The smooth leather was warm in his hands. It almost felt alive. He smiled at Ignis. Ignis, as always, seemed to be able to tell when Noctis was looking at him.

“How does it feel?” he asked softly.

“Like coming home, almost,” Noctis said just as quietly. He turned his head as the other four got in the car.

Gladio got in first, and Prompto sat on his lap, wiggling his hips and trying to get comfortable. 

“Don’t start that shit,” Gladio said, poking him. Prompto grinned at the bigger man. Noctis wondered if he should tell them they had been together in the future. He decided not to, at least not at that moment.

Iggy sat behind Noctis. Noct climbed onto his lap, shutting the door behind him. He sat sideways on Iggy’s lap, arm around his neck. Iggy’s arm went automatically around his waist.

“Everyone settled?” Noctis asked from the driver’s seat.

“Yup!” Prompto said cheerfully.

“And we’re off,” Noctis said, starting the car.

The Regalia roared to life, purring in Noctis’ hands.

Noctis pulled onto the road. The sun beat down on them. Ignis tilted his head back, enjoying the wind in his hair and the sun on his face. He listened to the four young men in the back seat, and half hoped Noctis was right.

Maybe they could grant these men a better life than the one they’d had.

The Regalia rocketed down the road. Noctis reached out and took Ignis’ hand. Ignis squeezed his hand.

Noctis smiled. With the Regalia moving easily down the road and Ignis at his side, he was, for the first time in ten years, happy.

He would enjoy every moment of that happiness, knowing better than most how finite happiness could truly be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are love!


	4. Chapter Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They drive to Caem, Cor is confused, Noct has a minor crisis.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the next chapter. I have realized that the first few chapters haven't been much beyond the six bros talking and trying to figure stuff out, and I hope it hasn't bored anyone. Things are going to start picking up in the next few chapters. Noct and Iggy really don't know how to deal with their future selves.

Chapter Four

Noctis glanced in the rearview mirror. Noct and Iggy were both asleep, Noct’s head buried against Iggy’s neck. Gladio was reading, one hand on Prompto’s waist. Prompto hung half out the window, snapping photos.

He looked at Ignis, sitting back with a soft smile, his visor removed, letting the sun hit his face.

“You’re going to get such a sunburn,” Noctis said with a smile, squeezing Ignis’ hand.

“We have sunscreen,” Prompto said from the backseat, leaning forward and digging through the center console. He tapped it against Ignis’ shoulder. Gladio kept his hand on Prompto’s hip, keeping the blonde balanced.

“Thank you,” Ignis said, taking it. Noctis was right. He could already feel a sunburn coming on. Ten years without sun had to have made him incredibly pale, not that he had ever seen himself in the mirror. He carefully removed his gloves and squirted a little into his palm.

He started to apply it to his face. Noctis watched him out of the corner of his eye.

“You missed a spot.”

Ignis grunted at him. 

“Umm…I could help, if you want?” Prompto said hesitantly. He didn’t want Ignis to get mad at him, but he didn’t want the man to burn either. He was super pale and his cheeks were already turning red.

Ignis went still.

Noctis squeezed his hand again. “Let him help. Remember Cartanica? Prompto was always right there, helping you. He doesn’t think you can’t do it. He just wants to help.”

Gladio glanced up. Cartanica? They must’ve hit Cartanica after Ignis was blinded. It made sense. 

Ignis sighed and shifted, turning to half face Prompto. Prompto took the sunscreen and poured some into his hands. He rubbed them together, reaching forward and gently rubbing it into Ignis’ face.

He paused at the scar over Ignis’ left eye and temple.

“Uh…”

“Go ahead,” Ignis said somewhat stiffly. 

“Sorry,” Prompto whispered hastily, gently applying a thin layer of sunscreen to the scar. He was surprised at how smooth the scar tissue was under his fingers. Ignis sat under his hands, barely breathing.

Ignis sighed. “Not your fault, Prompto. I have found that most people don’t like to be faced with evidence of physical injuries, especially ones as extensive as these. I am not used to people besides Noctis touching them.”

“Well, people are stupid then,” Gladio said, closing his book. “So, you went through something horrible that scarred you. People shouldn’t treat you different because of it.”

Noctis arched his eyebrow. Ignis snorted. 

Gladio frowned at their reactions. Something clicked. 

“I’m guessing I treated you differently after it happened?” he asked softly.

“You were a right asshole,” Noctis said simply, focusing on the road.

“Oh,” Gladio said, looking down. Prompto frowned.

“It was ten years ago for us,” Ignis said. “Technically, it wasn’t you.”

“This whole time travel thing is confusing,” Prompto said, looking at his hands. He still had sunscreen on them.

“Tell me about it,” Noctis said dryly. “Hey, do my face too, Prompto?”

“Sure!” Prompto said, glad for the change of subject. He leaned forward, hanging awkwardly over the center console and applying sunscreen to Noctis’ face. It was strange. He had touched Noct plenty of times, but feeling the beard beneath his fingers, the evidence of more age, was weird. And sobering.

“Done!” Prompto said, flopping back against Gladio. Gladio grunted, and Prompto grinned at him.

Noctis looked back at Iggy and Noct again. They were still sleeping. He knew Iggy hadn’t gotten any sleep the night before, and he was very aware that Noct could sleep anywhere. 

“Hey, Prompto?” Noctis said.

“Yeah?”

“Take a picture of them like that,” Noctis said quietly. He had always wished that he had more pictures of just him and Ignis together.

Prompto nodded, lifting his camera and taking a couple of shots of Noct and Iggy. He leaned forward.

“That reminds me…am I allowed to take pictures of the two of you?” Prompto asked. He wasn’t sure if taking pictures of them would cause some breach in the time space continuum or something like that. He read it in a science fiction book once.

Noctis smiled. “Yeah, I’m good with it. Ignis?”

“Of course, Prompto,” Ignis said after a moment. He felt a twinge that he couldn’t see the pictures, but if Noctis thought it was fine for their younger counterparts to have pictures of them, then so be it.

“Thanks!” Prompto said cheerfully, snapping a quick picture of Noctis driving. He took one of Ignis leaning back in the chair, sun on his face.

Gladio held Prompto’s hip, staring at the scenery. He wondered what had happened in Altissia, in Cartanica. He wondered what he had done—would do?—to hurt Ignis. He sighed.

Prompto wiggled on his lap, and Gladio looked down at him. 

“You okay, big guy?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, I’m good,” Gladio said.

Prompto nodded, head falling against Gladio’s broad shoulder. Noctis glanced at them one last time in the mirror. He could see that Gladio was bothered by something. He turned his attention back to the road, fingers tightening on the leather of the steering wheel.

Prompto quickly started to doze, breathing deeply. Looking sideways, Noctis could see that Ignis was asleep too, or at least doing a very good job faking it. Gladio was still awake.

“Gladio,” Noctis said.

“Yeah?”

“Don’t worry about what happened after Altissia. If all goes well…you and the others will never have to face the same hell we did.”

Gladio was silent. He had been thinking hard about Altissia and Cartanica and the future. It was hard not to with the men sitting in the front of the car. He wondered briefly what Noctis meant by his statement. Was Noctis going to try to change his past? Could he even do that?

“Of course, your majesty,” Gladio whispered after a moment. Noctis closed his eyes briefly. He had no idea what it would mean for Noct that he was here, with the full power of the throne and Crystal behind him. He had no idea what the younger man’s reaction was going to be when he found out what being the chosen king truly meant.

“Just…call me Noctis.”

“Right, sorry, Noctis.”

Noctis smiled, and the drive continued in silence.

FFXV

Iggy woke when the car slowed down. He groaned. His legs were half asleep, Noct’s bony ass cutting off circulation. Noctis looked at him.

“Need to get gas before we continue on. Tank was low.”

“Of course,” Iggy said, nudging Noct. “Wake up.”

Noct mumbled, and clung tighter to Iggy. Noctis smirked. How often had he dragged Ignis back to sleep by doing the same thing?

He pulled into the small rest stop, parking the Regalia next to the fuel pumps. “Everyone out. Bathroom break, whatever you need. Still have a few hours until we hit Caem.”

Prompto nodded and opened the door, getting out of the car and stretching. 

“Oh my gods I have such a case of swamp ass right now!” Prompto said. Ignis snorted, choking back laughter. Noct burst out laughing, and Noctis just shook his head. Iggy ran his hand over his face.

“We could’ve done without knowing that, thanks,” Iggy said dryly. 

“Hey!” Gladio said.

Prompto looked at him. “How in the hell do you survive in leather pants? I mean, ugh! I was sweating just from sitting on your lap!”

“Copious amounts of body powder,” Gladio said. He plucked at his pants. They were sticking to his thighs from Prompto’s ass.

“Well, unless you wanna be a hood ornament, you’re stuck sitting on my lap so you better get used to it,” Gladio said with a smirk.

“Great, share the damn body powder.”

Noct stood up, Iggy followed a second later, massaging his thighs. 

“Sorry,” Noct said softly.

“It’s fine. I do appreciate the chance to stretch my legs, though.”

“Me too. Let’s go buy snacks.”

Noct and Iggy headed for the convenience store, talking softly. Gladio opened the trunk and pulled out his bag, digging through it to find his body powder. He tossed it at Prompto.

“Here.”

“Oh, thank the gods,” Prompto snatched it out of midair and hustled towards the bathroom.

Noctis shook his head and paid the ten gil to fill the tank. Ignis got out of the Regalia but stayed close to it, his visor firmly back on his face.

Prompto came out of the bathroom a moment later, a look of relief on his face. “So much better. Thanks, Gladio.”

“Yup,” Gladio said, putting the powder back in his bag.

Gladio wandered to the bathroom. Prompto snapped a couple of pictures of Noctis filling the car, and Ignis standing next to it.

“Hey, hey! Lemme get one of the two of you with the Regalia!”

Noctis blinked, looking surprised. “Yeah, okay,” he said. “Ignis?”

Ignis moved closer to Noctis. Noctis reached out and pulled Ignis close to him, taking comfort in the feel and scent of the man next to him. Ignis wrapped his arm over Noctis’ shoulders.

Prompto watched them for a second. They were much more open about their relationship than Noct and Iggy. It was fascinating and weird as hell to watch. 

He raised his camera. “Say…fuzzy pickles!”

Noctis burst out laughing. Ignis looked confused.

“Okay, sorry. Great expressions, but let’s try that again,” Prompto said with a laugh. “Think of something happy.”

Noctis glanced up at Ignis, smiling up at him. He thought of how beautiful Ignis was, how glad he was to be able to share a sunrise, the stars, with Ignis again. He didn’t know how they had come to be ten years in their past, but he was thankful he got to spend it with Ignis.

Ignis’ lips curled in a soft smile. He rested his forehead against Noctis’. He was with Noctis, the sun warming their skin. He didn’t think about what was coming, he just concentrated on the feel of Noctis in his arms.

Prompto took the picture, tears blurring his vision for reasons he couldn’t put into words.

Noct and Iggy stood just outside the store, staring at their older counterparts. Gladio stood next to them. Noct looked up at Iggy, and the other man blinked, dropping his stare from the men in front of the Regalia. 

“You okay?” Noct whispered to Iggy.

Iggy nodded, balancing their snacks in his hands. He smiled at Noct. “I am glad to see that they—we—still love each other.”

Noct smiled. “Me too.”

They started to head back towards the car. Noctis and Ignis walked back from the bathroom. Iggy handed Ignis another Ebony, and the blind man nodded his thanks, sitting back in the passenger seat.

Prompto sighed and settled back into Gladio’s lap. Noct lowered himself into Iggy’s lap as Noctis started the car.

“We set?” Noctis asked.

“Good to go,” Prompto said.

Noctis pulled away from the gas station and back onto the road. He loved how the Regalia felt in his hands. The four younger men were talking quietly in the back seat. Noctis looked back.

“Hey, can one of you call ahead and make sure Cor has everyone gathered? Monica, Dustin, Iris, Cid, Cindy, the crew.”

“Of course,” Iggy said, pulling his phone out of his pocket. Noct shifted so he could make the call easier, leaning against the taller man and watching Noctis drive.

Iggy hung up. “He said everyone would be waiting. We were lucky, Cindy had dropped by to drop off some gear for the boat so she was there.”

Noctis nodded. “Good.”

Silence fell over the car again. Ignis reached for the CD player, turning on soft music. He leaned back, pulling his visor off again and basking in the sun.

“You remind me of a cat,” Noctis said with a smile.

“Bugger off,” Ignis said cheerfully, “I’m quite enjoying the sun.”

“I can tell,” Noctis laughed. 

He was glad that Ignis seemed happy. His smile slipped off his face after a moment. He wondered how Ignis would survive after he was gone. Ignis touched his knee. Noctis laced their fingers together. He wasn’t sure how Ignis always knew when he needed him, but he didn’t care. 

He was glad that Ignis was here with him. It would’ve been so much harder if he had been brought here by himself.

He lifted Ignis’ hand to his lips and kissed the back of his hand.

Noct watched them. Iggy was talking quietly to Gladio. Noct cuddled deeper against Iggy. He wished he was that comfortable showing affection to Iggy. He wished Iggy was that comfortable with him. Iggy was still in the advisor mindset. He had trouble moving past the fact that there was essentially no one to keep them apart anymore.

He sighed against Iggy’s neck. Iggy glanced down at him. Noct smiled at him.

They continued driving in silence.

FFXV

Cor Leonis stood on the top of the lighthouse, leaning against the rail and looking out over the water. Cid was just pulling Regis’ old boat back into the dock under the lighthouse. He had taken it out to test it, make sure everything was working for the boys.

He ran his hand over his face. He was still trying to figure out what Ignis had meant by that phone call. He had only said that the king requested everyone in attendance for a meeting. His wording was weird. He had never heard Scientia refer to Noctis as the king before and it was weird. 

He walked slowly around the balcony of the lighthouse, watching the road. He saw the Regalia pull up and nodded to himself. Good. They could get this meeting underway. He rode the elevator down to the dock, nearly having to drag Cid from the boat.

They started to walk to the house.

FFXV

Noctis pulled the Regalia to a stop at Cape Caem, putting the car in park and getting out. Everyone else followed suit, stretching and talking.

“Really looking forward to Iris’ cooking,” Prompto said.

“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that,” Iggy and Ignis said at the same time. Gladio snorted.

Prompto grinned. “Sorry, guys! Didn’t mean anything by it.”

“Let’s get to the house,” Noctis said.

The six men started walking. Noctis slid his hand into Ignis’ as they walked. Prompto skipped ahead, snapping a picture of them.

They came towards the house. Gladio lifted his hand to wave at Cor and Cid.

Cor froze, his eyes wide. It couldn’t be possible.

“Reggie?” Cid whispered in shock, standing next to Cor.

Noctis stopped, running his hand through his hair.

“No, sorry,” he whispered. Cor shook his head, eyes darting to the taller man. His eyes widened.

It was Ignis. What in the hell had happened to him? Why hadn’t he said anything on the phone. And there was Noct and Iggy standing behind the older men. Gladio and Prompto stood to the side.

“Marshal? You okay?” Prompto asked.

“Yeah, it’s a bit shocking, isn’t it?” Noct asked.

“What in the _hell_ is going on?” Cor asked. The man with the beard, the one who looked so much like Regis it hurt, was—

“Noctis?” he asked, staring between the two Noctis’.

“Yes,” Noctis said. He held his hand out to shake Cor’s, and Cor’s eyes dropped to the Ring of the Lucii. He looked up at the man’s face, his eyes darting between the two Noctis’ and the two Ignis’.

His eyes landed back on the older Noctis. The man stared back at him with tired eyes. Cor reached out a slow hand, grasping Noctis’ loosely in shock.

“What in tarnation is going on here?” Cid half yelled.

“We’re going to explain everything,” Noctis said quietly, “it’s why we’re here.”

Cor looked down at their joined hands, and the ring that stood out starkly against Noctis’ skin. The Ring of the Lucii. He knew it could only be worn by royalty, by the ones the ring, the old kings, deemed worthy. He let go of Noctis’ hand, stepping back and fisting his hand over his heart. He bowed slightly.

“Of course, your majesty.”

Iggy was the only one who noticed the flash of pain that warped across Noct’s face.

They walked to the house. Noct stood there, staring after them. Iggy put his hand on Noct’s shoulder.

“Noct?”

“If he’s here, what does that make me?” Noct whispered, tears welling in his eyes. Iggy pulled him close, resting his cheek on the top of Noct’s head. Noct’s arms went around Iggy’s waist. “Tell me, Iggy. Who am I if I’m not…not the king?”

Iggy gripped Noct’s chin in his hand and tilted his head back. “You are still Noctis. A good man, who hates vegetables and loves cats. A man who is incredibly loyal to his friends, and helps perfect strangers, who sleeps a lot and enjoys fishing. You are Noct, and you are the man I love, no matter if you’re the king or a commoner.”

Noct looked up at him. It was the first time he had said those words to him. “Say it again,” Noct whispered, staring up at him.

“I love you.”

Noct surged up and kissed him. “I love you, too.” He wiped the tears out of his eyes. He took a deep breath.

“It’s just…hard to see how everyone is deferential to him,” Noct said quietly.

Iggy held him. “I know.”

Noct nodded. He imagined it was even harder for Iggy to look at Ignis and see his future written in those scars.

“Oi! Are you two coming or not?” Gladio yelled from the door.

“Yeah!” Noct yelled back.

Iggy looked down at him. “Are you going to be okay?”

Noct nodded. “As long as you’re with me, I will be.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Iggy said softly. Noct smiled up at him, lacing their fingers together.

They walked to the house, and Iggy closed the door behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are love! Please let me know what you think!


	5. Chapter Five

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis tells a tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I had a hell of a time with the beginning of this chapter. I rewrote it like five times before I was happy. Also, the second half is literally Noctis summarizing the game. I apologize for that, but it needs to happen. Things will start picking up in the next chapter.
> 
> Let me know what you think!

Iris looked up when the door opened. 

“Noctis!” she said cheerfully, skipping towards them. She slammed on the brakes, staring in shock.

“Oh my gods, you’re _old_!” she said.

Prompto burst out laughing at the look on her face.

“Thanks, Iris,” Noctis said dryly. She stared opened mouthed at the blind Ignis. She spun to face her brother, half afraid that he was going to look different too. He was his normal self.

“What is going on?”

“Long story,” Gladio said, pulling Iris close in a hug. 

She turned back to Noctis and Ignis. It couldn’t be possible. Noctis and Ignis had looked normal when they’d left Caem to go on hunts. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from them. They were old. What had happened?

Noctis looked at her. Gods, she was young. He snorted. She was half his age. He studied her. Her face was scar free, hair shorter. She was tan, and had an easy smile. It was refreshing to see after seeing the older Iris. 

He looked at Cor. Cor looked well, confused, but well. He didn’t have the weight of keeping everyone together for ten years on his shoulders, he didn’t feel the weight of lives lost in his service.

Cindy walked down the stairs, stopping and staring.

“My goodness, what happened to you two?”

“We aged,” Noctis said. Cindy gave them a bewildered look. 

“They said they’d explain,” Cid grunted. “They should get on with it.”

Ignis stood uncertainly next to Noctis. He could feel the eyes of everyone on him. Noctis took his hand and led him to the table.

“Hey, where are the others?” Prompto asked.

“What others?” Iris asked.

“Noct and Iggy,” Prompto said.

“Uh…what?” Iris asked, looking pointedly at Noctis and Ignis.

“I’ll get them,” Gladio said. He walked to the door and stuck his head out. He paused, staring at them. Iggy had his arms around Noct, their foreheads resting against each other. He frowned. 

He couldn’t imagine what they were feeling. What it would be like to be faced with your future self?

“Oi! Are you two coming or not?” Gladio yelled.

“Yeah,” Noct yelled. Gladio watched as they walked closer, stepping back as they stepped through the door. Iggy closed the door.

“What. The. Hell.” Dustin said, staring between the four men.

“We can explain, mostly,” Noctis said.

“Just so we get this out of the way, I’m Iggy, he’s Ignis, he’s Noct, and that’s Noctis,” Iggy said, pointing at each of them. “Just…go with it.”

“Right…” Iris said, more confused than ever.

No one moved for a moment, staring uncomfortably at each other. 

Cor looked between the men. “You guys stink,” he said.

Iris giggled.

Noctis smiled. “Well, a shower would be appreciated. Ignis and I don’t have anything to change into though.”

Cor looked them up and down, then at their younger selves. They were both more filled out than Noct and Iggy. Ignis looked to be close to his size. 

“I’m sure we can figure out something while we get what you’re wearing cleaned,” Cor said. “Come with me.”

Noctis took Ignis’ hand and led him up the stairs after Cor. Cor led them to his room, digging through his dresser. He pulled out two pairs of pants and two shirts.

“These should work,” he said, handing them to Noctis.

“Thanks, Cor. We appreciate it.” 

Cor nodded, stepping to the door. “I’ll get dinner going and have the others clean up as well. Meet up in an hour in the dining room?”

“Sounds good,” Noctis said.

Cor shut the door behind him and walked down the stairs. Noctis turned to Ignis, helping him take his jacket off and fold it over a chair. They stripped the rest of the way quickly, and Noctis led Ignis to the shower.

Noctis’ eyes swept Ignis’ body. His face was pink, lightly sunburned from the day. Glancing in the mirror, he noticed his own face was a little sunburned as well. He smiled. He never thought he’d get the chance to be sunburned again, and the light stinging was something he decided to revel in.

Ignis stepped into the shower, hissing in pleasure when the water hit him. It had been a long time since he’d been able to have a hot shower. Noctis smiled, getting in next to him. He handed Ignis the soap, smiling.

“Here.”

“Thank you,” Ignis said, scrubbing his body. Noctis watched the soap run off his body and down the drain, turning the water grey with dirt and sweat.

Noctis took one of the washcloths and ran it over Ignis’ body, counting each scar he had gained in his ten year absence. He pressed his lips against Ignis’ shoulder, sighing as the water sluiced over them both.

Ignis sighed, leaning back into Noctis’ body. Noctis wrapped his arms around Ignis’ middle, squeezing hard. Ignis covered Noctis’ hands with his. 

“This is going to be hard,” Noctis whispered against Ignis’ skin. “Telling them what we went through.”

Ignis squeezed his hand. He thought back to Altissia, to the rain, and the feel of metal hands pressing him into the ground, Ardyn standing before him, smirking.

The sound of his glasses being shattered.

Ignis shook his head, taking a shuddering breath. 

Noctis kissed his shoulder. “It’s okay, Ignis. You’ll have to fill in some blanks during the ten years, but we don’t have to give them a detailed account of that time.”

Ignis turned in his arms, touching Noct’s face. “Prompto.”

Noctis blinked. “What?”

“You should pull Prompto aside before we talk to everyone,” Ignis said, voice barely audible over the pounding of the water. “The others do not know that he is from Niflheim. I do not think you should tell them that part without talking to him first. He has been hiding it a long time.”

Noctis smiled at Ignis’ thoughtfulness. “You’re right. I still don’t know all of what happened to him after I…I pushed him off the train.”

“Prompto told me what he went through,” Ignis said, taking the soap and putting a little in Noctis’ hair, gently massaging his scalp. “Ask him if you can reveal his secret, and tell him I can talk to him privately about the matters that pertain only to him.”

“You’re a good man, Ignis,” Noctis said, closing his eyes and Ignis turned him to stand under the water.

“I try, your majesty,” Ignis said quietly.

They finished their shower in an easy silence, drying off. Noctis helped Ignis pull on the clothes. 

“Huh. Cor’s clothes fit you pretty well.”

“We’re close to the same height,” Ignis said with a shrug.

“They’re going to be huge on me,” Noctis said cheerfully, belting the pants up. They weren’t quite as big as he anticipated.

“Well, at least he didn’t give you Talcott’s clothing.”

“Hey, I’m not that puny.”

Ignis smiled, putting his boots back on.

“Ready?” Ignis asked, standing up.

“As I’ll ever be.”

They turned the light off and headed downstairs, the smell of dinner meeting their noses. Noctis’ eyes swept the room. Noct and Iggy sat next to each, eating slowly. One of Noct’s hands rested on Iggy’s thigh. Noctis wondered briefly if he and Ignis had been that touchy feely at that age.

He didn’t think so, but he figured being faced with your future would make anyone clingy.

Prompto and Gladio were telling Iris and Talcott about a hunt they had gone on, and how Noct had gotten thrown through the air. Cor sat next to Cid and Cindy, the three of them talking quietly.

Monica and Dustin leaned against the counter, eating. Noctis nodded at everyone and grabbed two plates, handing Ignis one and directing him to a chair.

The food was good, but not quite as good as the fresh fish they’d had the night before. Ignis made a pleased noise.

Fresh food was delicious. Eating something that wasn’t straight out of a can was remarkable. Noctis smiled and nudged their shoulders together.

“Can we get on with this?” Cid grumbled, wiping his plate clean.

“In a moment,” Noctis said, finishing his dinner. He looked at Prompto. “I need to speak to Prompto before we start.”

Prompto stared at him, eyes wide. “Uh…okay?”

“C’mon,” Noctis said, standing up. Prompto looked at Gladio, fighting down his sudden fear. What had he done?

Gladio patted him on the shoulder as he followed Noctis out the door. Everyone stared.

Noct and Iggy traded confused glances. Why would Noctis have to talk to Prompto alone?

Noctis closed the door as Prompto joined him on the deck. “Come away from the house a bit,” Noctis said, walking to the fence on the edge of the cliff.

Prompto followed warily. Noctis turned and smiled at him.

“I’m not going to attack you or toss you off the cliff, I just want to make sure we’re not overheard.”

The smile reassured Prompto. It was a smile he was familiar with, even if it was laced with more sadness than he was used to. Prompto stood next to him, watching the king out of the corner of his eye.

Noctis ran his fingers through his hair, glad that it was clean for once.

“What did you want to talk about?” Prompto asked.

Noctis faced him, his eyes dropping to Prompto’s right wrist. Prompto’s eyes widened and he grabbed his wrist, squeaking.

“You know, then,” Prompto said after a moment, eyes filling with tears.

“Yes,” Noctis said softly.

“I see,” Prompto whispered, still clinging to his wrist.

“The reason I wanted to speak to you alone is that it comes up in the story I have to tell them,” Noctis said. “It wouldn’t be fair for me to spill your secret to them all without talking to you.”

“So…you’re going to tell them?”

Noctis placed his hands on Prompto’s shoulders. “Only if you give me permission. It’s not my secret to tell, Prompto. Yes, your barcode helped us in Gralea, but I can skirt around that if you wish.”

Prompto was silent, his fingers tracing the leather band covering the barcode.

Noctis grasped Prompto’s chin and tilted his head up, looking the younger man in the eyes. “You should know it never changed how any of us thought of you. You were—are—Prompto, the best friend a prince could ever ask for. You take great photos, love chocobos. So, you’re from Niflheim. It never mattered where you were from. You have been and always will be a crown citizen of Lucis. You were, are, always good enough for me.”

Prompto felt his tears well from his eyes and slide down his cheeks. Noctis pulled him into a tight hug.

Prompto gasped, then wrapped his arms around the older man and cried into his shoulder. Noctis held him, whispering soothingly in his ear.

Prompto couldn’t help but categorize the differences between Noctis and Noct. Noct had hugged him a few times, but Noctis was harder, leaner. His fingers fisted in the back of Noctis’ borrowed shirt. He took a deep breath and stepped back.

“Tell them,” Prompto said, glad that his voice didn’t waver.

“Okay,” Noctis said quietly, squeezing Prompto on the shoulder. As they walked back to the house, Noctis looked at him. “Ignis knows more of what happened to you, and said that if you’d like he’d be happy to tell you what happened after I pushed you off the train.”

Prompto stopped as Noctis opened the door.

“You pushed me off a _train_?” Prompto asked incredulously. 

“You what?” Gladio asked in shock. He frowned. It looked like Prompto had been crying.

“I’ll explain, but keep in mind what I said, okay?” Noctis said, looking at Prompto. Prompto glanced at Ignis and nodded, turning his wrist band over his wrist.

Noctis looked at everyone. “Can we take this into the sitting room?”

They nodded and got up, the entire contingent moving to the sitting and depositing themselves around the room. The loveseat was left empty, and Noctis put his hand on the small of Ignis’ back and led him to it. He sat next to Ignis, the lines of their bodies touching. The heat from Ignis’ body calmed him.

He looked around the room. Gladio, Prompto, and Iris were on the couch, Iris curled against her brother’s side. Cid and Cindy sat on the other loveseat, Talcott squeezed between them. Iggy sat in one of the recliners, Noct at his feet. Cor sat in the other recliner, watching Noctis intently. Dustin and Monica dragged two chairs in from the dining room, sitting down and facing Noctis.

Noctis sighed and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. He stared at the stain on the coffee table before him.

He swallowed. He didn’t want to talk about this. It was hard to think about, and here he was about to reveal what would’ve happened to them.

He sighed, not looking at anyone.

“I’m going to start in Altissia, because up until now, our journeys had been the same,” he said. Ignis moved closer to him, and Noctis started to talk.

He told them about leaving Caem on the boat, and how Ignis had gotten them into the city by saying they were culinary students. He told them how they spent a wonderful three days in that confusing city before seeing Camelia, taking hunts and just enjoying themselves.

No one interrupted. They could see how hard it was to talk about.

Noctis told them of the meeting with Camelia, and the agreement he’d come to with her to help evacuate the city. He told them of how they spilt up, and how he had seen Luna in the flesh for the first time in twelve years. He told how Luna had summoned the angry Leviathan.

He told them of the empire, and how he fought to get closer to Leviathan. He told them how Prompto had stolen a Nif vehicle and flown him closer. He’d had to get the covenant with the Hydrean before the empire managed to kill her like they had Shiva.

The Hydrean had not been willing, he’d said, unless he could prove himself worthy.

His voice was flat as he spoke. He told them how the city had been surrounded by a wall of water, and how sections of the city floated. Ignis was practically vibrating next to him. He didn’t want to relive this any more than Noctis did.

He told them how he tried to fight Leviathan, warping closer to her and then trying to get away in time to avoid getting eaten. He had been nothing but a fly irritating a great being, and he had suffered for it.

He stared at that stain on the coffee table. He didn’t see the way Noct had curled tighter against Iggy, the way Iggy’s hand was clamped tightly on his shoulder, lips white. He didn’t see the looks in everyone’s eyes as he spoke. 

He told them how Leviathan had thrown him to the ground, and how much pain he had been in. Ignis reached for him, then dropped his hand. He had never actually heard this before. They never spoke of Altissia.

Never.

Noctis took his hand, squeezing tightly.

He told them how he had seen Luna rushing towards him, her body starting to fail her. He could hear the horror in his own voice as he described Ardyn walking up behind her. Ignis jerked next to him at the chancellor’s name. 

Iggy couldn’t tear his eyes from his older self. He was pale, and had visibly reacted to Ardyn’s name. He wondered at that, and he wondered again how he went blind.

Noctis hadn’t been able to hear what they were saying, but he remembered the feeling in his gut as Ardyn had knelt before Luna and stabbed her in the stomach.

Noct’s eyes were wide. Prompto covered his mouth. Gladio closed his eyes, turning his head slightly. Iris sniffed quietly. Monica and Dustin didn’t move. Cor stared at his feet.

Noctis’ voice barely shook as he told them how Luna had summoned the armiger, giving him the strength to fight and subdue Leviathan. He remembered falling, and told them that he thought Luna had held him.

Ignis was completely still next to him. Noctis could barely hear him breathe.

He wouldn’t tell them of the vision he’d had of Luna. That was for him and him alone. He clung to Ignis’ hand.

“I was in a coma for days, and when I woke up…Luna was dead, I had the Ring of the Lucii, and Ignis….” He turned his head, looking at the scar on Ignis’ face.

Noct glanced at his Iggy, his perfect Iggy. He wouldn’t let him go blind. He couldn’t. That was why they were telling them this, wasn’t it?

Monica leaned forward. “What happened?” she asked Ignis.

Ignis took a shuddering breath and shook his head. “A small sacrifice in the greater battle. It is not important.”

Iggy opened his mouth to retort. It bloody well was important to _him_. His mouth snapped closed. No. He didn’t want to Ignis to tell them in front of everyone. Maybe…maybe he would ask later. Privately.

“What happened next?” Cor asked, trying to ease away the sudden tension in the room.

Noctis leaned heavily against Ignis and started talking again. He told them of the train, and Cartanica. He told them how Gladio had pushed him, had pushed him to leave Ignis behind. 

Gladio was silent, staring at his boots. 

Noctis told them how Ignis had saved their asses, how he wanted to stay with them until the end. He told them how things got better after that for a day or two between the four of them, and then Ardyn appeared.

He told them how he fought besides Prompto to save the train, how he pushed Prompto off the train, thinking he was Ardyn.

Prompto stared at his wrist, wondering what happened to him after that.

Noctis told them how they had met Aranea in Tenebrae, how he found out that Ravus wanted to give the sword back.

He told them of the snow, and the Glacian. He did not tell them Gentiana’s true identity. He wasn’t sure how the goddess would react to that. 

He told them how Ardyn cut him off from the armory, how they were weaponless in the seat of the empire.

He told them of Gralea, and the last stand of the Regalia. He told them how he was separated from Ignis and Gladio, and how he had to put the ring on after weeks of fighting against it. 

He told of chasing an imaginary Prompto, listening to Ardyn tease and harass him for hours as he stumbled through the maze of Zegnautus Keep. He told them of finding Ravus’ body and taking his father’s sword back. He told them of being reunited with Gladio and Ignis, of finding Prompto in a cell.

 

Prompto leaned hard against Gladio, and the bigger man pulled him close. Prompto frantically spun his wristband. Gladio grabbed his fingers, silently asking him to stop.

“We continued on, until we came to the room the held the thing cutting me off from my power,” Noctis said. “But the door was locked, and we couldn’t get in. I didn’t want to go find another damn keycard upgrade. We had to get through that door.”

He took a breath and looked at Prompto. “Prompto got us in, using the barcode on his wrist.”

Prompto tensed against Gladio as everyone looked at him. His fingers fumbled as he took the wristband off. He didn’t look at anyone.

Iris leaned over Gladio, looking at the barcode. “What is that? What’s it mean?”

Prompto let out a frightened squeak. He couldn’t do this. He shouldn’t have done this. They knew, they knew, they knew.

“He’s from Niflheim,” Cor said quietly, watching Prompto. “We…rescued…him from a facility deep in the empire.”

Prompto’s eyes flew to the marshal in shock. They stared at each other. “You…you knew?”

Cor nodded. “Who do you think got you out of that place?”

“Huh,” Ignis muttered. That he hadn’t known.

Cor glanced at Ignis, then back at Prompto. “We had help from the inside, but getting you out of there wasn’t easy.”

“Who cares where you’re from?” Noct asked from his spot at Iggy’s feet. “You’re still Prompto.”

Noctis smiled. He’d said something very similar once.

“But Nifs don’t have barcodes, right?” Talcott asked.

Noctis looked at Prompto. Prompto nodded tightly. Noctis squeezed Ignis’ hand.

“Magitek troopers,” Prompto said, staring at the hated barcode. “They have these too.”

There was a beat of silence. Cor closed his eyes. He had known, he had known since the moment he had pulled the infant from the tank, surrounded by countless other infants in tanks, all looking the same.

They couldn’t save them all. 

“You’re a Magitek trooper?” Gladio asked.

Prompto felt his eyes burn with tears.

“No,” Noctis said at the same time as Noct. They looked at each other. Noctis continued after a moment. “He’s still Prompto. He’ll always be Prompto, no matter where he’s from.”

Gladio’s arm tightened around Prompto. “That’s not what I meant,” Gladio said.

Noctis smiled wryly. “I know. You have a bad tendency to speak before you think at this age.”

“Hey!”

“I can assure you, that tendency didn’t get much better with age,” Ignis said.

Gladio shook his head, fighting back a smile.

Everyone laughed, the tension broken.

Noctis leaned back, shoulder pressed against Ignis’. 

“We were back together,” he started quietly. Everyone fell silent, suddenly aware of the tone of his voice.

It was sadder, heavier.

“But we wouldn’t be for long.”

Noctis haltingly told them of fighting Ravus, of wave after wave of daemons coming towards them. He told them how he had charged ahead, fighting to get to the Crystal.

The silence was absolute as he told them how the Crystal began to suck him in, and how Ardyn had talked to him.

He told them Ardyn’s true name, and Noct recoiled against Iggy’s leg. 

It couldn’t be true.

Noctis couldn’t talk anymore.

Ignis took over. “The long night fell,” he said. “The nights had been getting longer, and finally…the sun stopped rising.”

Ignis told them briefly of the long night, how Gladio and Prompto had gone off on their own, how Cor had been the one to retrain Ignis how to fight, using senses other than sight. He told them how Iris had become a daemon hunter, and how Talcott learned to fight. 

He didn’t tell them of the utter loneliness of the long night, of the times he had considered killing himself. He didn’t tell them how Cor had talked him down, held him, let him grieve in a way he had never been able to before; not only for Noctis but for his sight, and his family, and Insomnia.

He told them how they survived the ten year night, how the three of them occasionally went hunting together.

He told them of the call from Talcott, telling them that the king had returned.

Noctis took over again. He stared at that coffee stain, and he told them the cost of the dawn.

No one moved. Noctis wasn’t sure if anyone was breathing.

Iggy closed his eyes, dropping his head. No. No, he didn’t want to lose Noct. Please, gods, no.

Ignis was silent. He alone could feel Noctis’ tension, the way his body was wound tight like a spring.

“A month passed from that day, the day he came back,” Ignis finally said, unable to bear the heavy silence a moment longer. “We took him around Lucis, letting him see the extent of the damage. We fell asleep…and then we woke up here.”

“But why?” Iris said quietly, voice thick with tears. “And how?”

Noctis shrugged. “How? Well, I’m guessing the gods had something to do with it. In Altissia, Gentiana gave me the ability to…visit her memories of the past. Do not ask me exactly how it worked. I could call Umbra, and he’d take me back. The others never knew. It was only so I could escape, grow stronger. This is different. This is real.”

Silence again. 

“Why then?” Noct finally asked, voice ragged. Iggy’s hand tightened on his shoulder.

Noctis lifted his head, staring right at his younger self.

“We’re here to change it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos are love!


	6. Chapter Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There can be only one king, and it's not Noct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay. I had a hard time with this chapter and it's a short one, but I didn't want to drag it out.

Chapter Six

Noctis lifted his head, staring straight as his younger self.

“We’re here to change it.”

There was absolute silence. Everyone stared at Noctis.

“Can you do that?” Iris asked quietly.

Noctis looked at her. He looked at how young she was. Her eyes were shadowed with the pain of losing her father and her home, but she was strong.

“I have to assume we were sent here for a reason, so yeah, we’re going to change it,” Noctis said.

Noct looked at his hands, aware of Iggy’s legs pressing into his back. He tried to work through everything Noctis had told him.

This entire trip…his entire life…he had been groomed to die.

He felt his eyes burn, and he didn’t look at anyone.

Why had no one told him that’s what being the chosen king meant? Why had no one—not his father, not Luna—told him that he was going to have to sacrifice himself?

It wasn’t fair.

He sat completely still, trying to get his tears and breathing under control before anyone noticed. 

Of course, Iggy noticed. Iggy ran his fingers through Noct’s hair, not saying anything but just as horrified. 

He had wondered about the prophecy of the chosen king. He had researched as best he could from a young age, looking for anything he could to shed some light on what little they knew.

He had at one point suspected that all the books and information on the prophecy had been removed from the Citadel library. After listening to Noctis’ story, he believed that they had been removed so he and Noct wouldn’t find out.

If he had known, he would have secreted Noct away, run far away from the city and hide.

Prompto watched Noct and Iggy. Noct’s head was forward, his hair hiding his face. Iggy didn’t have the luxury, and he had always been better than Noct at schooling his emotions, but Prompto could see the horror there.

Gladio’s hands were fisted on his thighs. He was a shield who wouldn’t be able to protect his king. Gladio looked between the two Noctis’. 

Which one was his king?

Cor thought about everything Noctis had told him, and everything Regis had told him before Regis had sent him from the city.

Regis had asked him not to tell Noct the truth, and Cor, faithful as he was, had led Noct to the first Royal Tomb and watched with a heavy heart as the young man started on his quest for revenge.

“You’re going to go through with it,” Cor said quietly. It wasn’t a question.

Noctis nodded. Ignis was tense next to him.

“How do you plan on getting to the Crystal?” Dustin asked.

“Ardyn will bring it,” Noctis said. “He wants this over as much as I do.”

The younger men didn’t move, didn’t say anything. They were still reeling from the realization of what they had been doing.

“How do you know it will work?” Monica asked suddenly. Everyone looked at her.

“What do you mean?” Noctis asked.

Monica gestured between him and Noct. “There are two of you. How do you know your sacrifice will work? Or does it have to be the one who was born and raised in _this_ timeline?”

Silence.

Noct and Iggy both looked horrified, looking between Monica and Noctis.

Noctis sighed, glancing at Noct.

“How many Royal Arms do you have?”

Noct blinked, confused. “What?”

“How many?”

“Seven,” Noct said. Why in the hell was Noctis asking about the Royal Arms?

Noctis nodded. “I couldn’t remember how many I had before we left for Altissia. Summon them.”

Everyone stared.

“What?” Noct asked incredulously. “Now?”

“Yes. Now.”

Iggy tensed. “Noct…” he whispered warningly, eyes locked on Noctis. No. Not this.

“Yeah, whatever,” Noct said, getting to his feet. If Noctis wanted to see him summon the Royal Arms, then so be it.

Noct summoned the Armiger.

It cracked to life around him for a brief second, and then vanished.

Noct stared at the empty space around him, confused. Where were the weapons? Why had they disappeared? He looked back at Iggy, looking for some kind of explanation, but Iggy was staring hard at Noctis.

Noctis got slowly to his feet, looking at Noct with a pained expression.

He summoned the Armiger, all thirteen weapons dancing to life around him. 

Cor let out a pained hiss. He understood. 

“There can be only one king,” Cor whispered. Everyone’s eyes darted to him, then back to Noctis.

“What does that mean?” Iris asked, staring at the expression on Noct’s face. He looked like he was close to tears.

“The Royal Arms can only be held by one king at a time,” Cor said quietly, also looking at Noct. “That’s why Noct couldn’t start getting them until after Regis…after Noctis became king.”

Noctis nodded, sending the Armiger away. The Ring of the Lucii felt heavy on his finger, as heavy as the crown he would never wear.

“The Chosen King must be sacrificed for the dawn to return,” Noctis said quietly, “and that’s me.”

Noct stared at him in shock. He looked down and summoned his engine blade. He could still do that, at least. He could still feel his connection to the Crystal, the ties to Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto, but he couldn’t find those weapons. 

He couldn’t find the Royal Arms that they had worked so hard to obtain. He closed his eyes, feeling for the blessings of Titan and Ramuh.

They were gone too.

His eyes flew open, and he stared at his older self. Noctis looked so regal, so calm, every inch a true king.

Noctis had the Royal Arms, the covenants with the gods, and the Ring of the Lucii.

Noct had nothing.

“I…I need to take a walk,” Noct said, barely moving his lips. He turned on his heel and walked slowly from the room. The moment the door closed behind him, he bolted, feet slamming into the wood floor.

He ran outside, completely ignoring the cool sea breeze and the way the sun felt on his face. He ran towards the car, then took a left and headed for the beach.

He needed to be alone.

FFXV

Noctis watched the door swing shut behind Noct and sat down slowly. Ignis touched his hand, and Noctis clung to him. 

Noctis hadn’t wanted to do that. Not so publicly, not in front of everyone.

Iggy perched on the edge of his chair. He seemed conflicted, and after a moment he stood up and walked out of the door without saying a word.

No one moved for a moment. The silence was strained.

Finally, after what could’ve been seconds or hours, Cor spoke up. 

“I think we all need to rest,” he said quietly. “This is a lot for us to take in, and you two need some time together, I think.” He nodded to Noctis and Ignis.

“Do we go after Noct and Iggy?” Prompto whispered.

Ignis shook his head. “Give them time,” he said, his voice barely audible.

Iris slowly got to her feet. “I’m going to go start washing dishes.”

Talcott joined her silently. Cor looked at Noctis and Ignis. “You two can have my room while you’re here. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Are you sure?” Noctis asked. He didn’t want to shove anyone out of their room.

“Fool boy sleeps on the couch half the time anyway,” Cid growled. Cor rolled his eyes.

“Not a boy anymore, old man.”

Gladio couldn’t help but laugh at Cid and Cor’s easy ribbing. “C’mon, Prompto,” he said quietly. “I got a deck of cards with our name on it.”

Prompto nodded, getting to his feet. He was glad that Gladio still wanted to hang out, even after finding out he was from Niflheim. They walked to the large bedroom on the top floor, pulling two beds together and sitting on them.

They didn’t talk about what they had just heard, but they were both thinking about it.

Cor went to grab his sleep pants and toothbrush. Noctis thanked him quietly, leading Ignis to the bedroom. He shut the door behind them, locking it.

He pulled Ignis against him, cursing quietly against his chest. Ignis wrapped his arms around his king, feeling his heart breaking all over again. Listening to Noctis tell them everything had been so incredibly difficult, and then to hear the pain in Noct’s voice when he realized that he…

That he was what? Ignis didn’t know. What was Noct, now that there was another Noctis, another king, here to fulfill the prophecy?

Noctis pulled Ignis’ head down to him and kissed him, pulling him towards the bed.

He wanted to forget everything, and just revel in Ignis’ touch.

Ignis was more than happy to oblige.

FFXV

Iggy found Noct on the beach, warping over the sand. He stopped, watching the dark haired man following his blade through nothing only to reappear a hundred feet away.

His heart hurt for Noct.

Noct ignored him for a while, and Iggy just sat on the sand, watching and thinking.

He didn’t know what to do, and he didn’t like that feeling. He always prided himself on knowing what to do, on having plans, on being the strategist of the team, and he was at a complete loss.

He didn’t know what to do with the information Noctis had given them. He didn’t know how to comfort Noct.

It took him a moment to realize Noct had joined him, sitting silently by his side, staring out over the water.

“I can still warp,” Noct said unnecessarily. 

Iggy nodded.

“And I can still feel the connection to the Crystal, and to you guys.”

Iggy nodded again.

“I don’t know what to do, Iggy,” Noct said, his voice cracking.

Iggy pulled him close.

“I know,” Iggy whispered. “Neither do I.”

They sat in silence, watching the moon dance across the water.

“It…it just hurts, you know?” Noct said after a while. “I’m…gods, Ignis, I’m the fucking spare!”

Noct stood up and started pacing. “I’m the spare in case he fails. The king and spare!”

He summoned a fire spell and threw it as hard as he could, screaming the entire time. Iggy got to his feet and crushed Noct to him.

“We could run away,” Iggy said. Noct stepped back, staring at him in shock. Never in all his life had he imagined Iggy would run away from duty.

“Ig-Iggy?” Noct’s eyes were wide. 

“They don’t need us,” Iggy whispered fiercely, “They have their king. We could disappear, right now. Move to somewhere remote, near a lake so you could fish, to a different country.”

Noct could imagine it. He could imagine waking up next to Iggy every day in a house of their own. It would be small, and the view from their bedroom would overlook the lake. They would live in happiness, together. 

They wouldn’t have to worry about the world.

Noct looked up at the night sky. He thought about what Noctis had said, how the sun had stopped rising. He remembered Ignis’ descriptions of the long night that he had never seen, but was intimately aware of the consequences. 

He took a deep breath, cupping Iggy’s cheek. “We can’t. Gods, I want to. You have no idea how much I want to…”

Iggy pressed his forehead against Noct’s, clinging to him.

“We have to help them, Iggy. As much as it hurts to see him, them, as much as I hate how everyone defers to him and treats him as the king…well, he _is_ the king, as much as I hate it.”

Iggy nodded. “I know. It was a foolish idea.”

“No, Iggy. It’s a great idea. When…when this is over we will run away together. Just you and me.”

“And if we help them, it may get done faster,” Iggy said with a sigh.

They were silent for a while, foreheads pressed together, breathing in each other.

“I’m afraid,” Iggy whispered. “I see him…Ignis…and I am terrified that I will go blind and not be able to see you. I very much do not want to go to Altissia.”

“Me too,” Noct muttered. “I wonder what happened to him and why he won’t say.”

Iggy hummed. It was going to plague him. 

But if Noct was willing to go to Altissia with Noctis and Ignis, then he would be right there next to him.

“I’m not going to let that happen to you,” Noct whispered. “And I don’t think they would let it happen either. They said they were here to change it, and that means what happened in Altissia too.”

“When did you get so wise?” Iggy whispered.

“When I was faced with my future and mortality,” Noct said quietly. He pulled Iggy’s head down for a kiss. 

“Stay out here with me for a while,” Noct whispered against his mouth, pulling Iggy down to the sand.

Iggy had never been able to say no to Noct.

The moon sank into the horizon and the stars spun overhead, but neither man noticed.

Neither man cared.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please _please_ tell me what you think.
> 
> Comments and Kudos are love


	7. Chapter Seven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noctis and Noct talk, they plan for Altissia and depart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These chapters seem to be shorter than my other stories. Oh well. I think it's working. Things really pick up in the next couple of chapters. I hope everyone is still enjoying this. Drop me a line and tell me if you are.
> 
> not beta-ed

Ignis and Cor leapt at each other, blades clashing as they spun apart. Cor was impressed, and he could clearly see some of his own moves in the blind man’s repertoire. It was strange to see moves that he had never taught to anyone else being used so effectively against him. 

Ignis loved fighting against Cor. Cor had been one of the few bright spots during the long night. Cor had taught him how to fight again. The older man had been incredibly patient with him, even when Ignis just wanted to give up and crumble into a sobbing mess, Cor never let him.

Even when Gladio left Ignis behind, unable to deal with Ignis’ bumbling. Even when Prompto hugged him and then left him, Cor was there.

It took Ignis years to relearn how to fight, and Cor had never turned him away. Ignis had lost count of the times he had ended up in Cor’s room at the Leville, shaking and alone.

He never had told Noctis that he had tried to kill himself, and would have succeeded if it hadn’t been for Cor. 

This Cor wasn’t his Cor. This Cor didn’t have ten years of darkness on his shoulders. His responsibility hadn’t dragged him down yet, tried to drown him with despair.

This Cor didn’t know Ignis’ moves, and Ignis delighted in being able to take the Immortal down in sparring. 

Cor landed on his back with a groan, half laughing as Ignis leaned down and pulled him to his feet.

“I never would’ve thought that a blind man could fight so well,” Cor said, dusting off his butt.

“All thanks to you, actually,” Ignis said. “You retaught me everything. I could barely defend myself in Gralea, and was more than useless in Cartanica. It wasn’t until Noctis was gone and I found myself lost that you helped me find my way. So for that, I thank you.”

Cor handed him a water bottle. “It’s weird,” Cor said. “I can see my own moves when you fight, and yet I have no memory of teaching you.”

Ignis flashed a smile at him, tilting his head as he heard footsteps approach them. “And hopefully, you’ll never have to teach Iggy in such desperate straits. Hello, Noctis.”

Noctis chuckled. “You two are pretty evenly matched.”

“Yes, well, this Cor is much younger than the one who taught me. And I have many tricks up my sleeves.”

Cor laughed, finishing his water. “You are wily, I’ll give you that.”

Noctis smiled. He had been impressed as always watching Ignis fight. Gladio had stood next to him, watching in awe as Ignis and Cor had sparred.

Gladio walked up, joining them. “Remind me to never piss you off, Ignis. I’ve never been able to beat Cor.”

Cor shrugged. “You beat the Blademaster, though. I didn’t.”

“Are you all comparing the size of your swords, daggers, whatever?” Prompto asked, darting out the door to join them.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Cor said with a laugh. 

“Actually,” Prompto said, “um, Noct and Iggy never came back last night. We thought they maybe spent the night in the lighthouse, but Iris checked and there was no sign of them.”

Ignis tilted his head. Noctis sighed, running his fingers through his hair. “I’ll go look for them. I need to apologize for yesterday, anyway.”

“You want company?” Prompto asked.

Noctis smiled at him. “Thank you, but no. Noct probably doesn’t want to see me at all, and I doubt he wants me to show up with his best friend.”

“Oh, right,” Prompto said, frowning. It was easy to forget that Noct and Noctis weren’t really the same person. One had experiences that the other didn’t.

One was the king, and the other wasn’t.

It was confusing. Prompto liked both of them.

“I’ll get breakfast started,” Ignis said. “After a shower.”

“Can’t wait,” Noctis said. He watched as they all headed for the house and he took a deep breath. Where would he have gone if he had that terrible revelation shoved on him in front of everyone?

He started heading for the beach.

FFXV

Noctis saw a lump at the end of the beach, and jogged closer. His first horrifying thought was that Noct and Iggy were dead, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw them breathing.

They were tangled together in the sand, half dressed. Noct lay curled against Iggy’s side, head pillowed on Iggy’s chest.

Iggy’s jacket covered Noct’s bare back, their shirts were pillowed beneath Ignis’ head. They both had their pants on, but no shoes or socks. Iggy’s glasses were crooked on his face, mouth parted slightly as he breathed evenly.

Noctis sank to the ground next to them, eyes travelling over Iggy’s chest. It was strange. Iggy wasn’t quite as muscled as Ignis, and the lack of scars was almost startling. Ignis’ left side was heavily scarred after Altissia. Noctis had nearly forgotten how smooth and perfect his chest had been before.

He reached out a hand to touch Iggy’s shoulder, and ended up on his ass with Iggy holding a dagger to his throat.

Iggy just managed not to stab Noctis, sending his dagger away the moment he realized who had touched his shoulder.

“You shouldn’t wake people up like that,” Iggy said. Noct groaned, Iggy’s sudden movements waking him.

“You both never came back last night,” Noctis said.

Iggy dusted sand off his back as best he could. “Funny, I thought the beach was the house. How foolish of me to think so.” The bitterness in his voice could cut steel. Noctis swallowed.

Noct sat up, rubbing his face. He blinked, staring at Noctis. “Oh, it’s you.”

“Sorry,” Noctis snapped. “You both realize you both could’ve been killed out here, right?”

“Well, that would make your lives easier, wouldn’t it?” Iggy half sneered, buttoning his shirt. 

Noctis looked at him, eyes wide. “Is that what you think?”

“Am I wrong?”

“Very,” Noctis growled.

Iggy took a step forward, standing between Noct and Noctis. Noctis felt his heart twist, a myriad of emotions rushing through him. Pain, that Iggy thought he had to protect Noct from him. Sadness, that he had brought that hostile look into Iggy’s eyes. Joy, that Iggy loved Noct so much that he would stand between them.

“It’s not like you have any need of us,” Iggy said stiffly.

Noct looked confused, finally shaking the last vestiges of sleep from him. He leapt to his feet and pushed between Iggy and Noctis, hand resting on Iggy’s chest. Noct stood there, just in his pants and Iggy’s jacket over his shoulders, completely ignoring his older self.

Iggy dropped his eyes, looking at Noct. 

“Let me talk to him, Iggy. I’ll be fine.”

Iggy glanced away, looking at the ocean. 

“Hey,” Noct said. Iggy looked at him. Noct pulled him down for a hard kiss, feeling a bit like he was marking his territory in front of Noctis. He had seen the way the older man had touched Iggy’s face when he had arrived. 

Iggy was _his_.

“I will wait for you over there,” Iggy said quietly, pointing to a rock. Noct nodded, reaching down and grabbing his shirt. He shook the sand out of it and pulled it on, keeping Iggy’s jacket. His eyes followed Iggy as the taller man moved slowly towards the rock, sitting on it and staring moodily into the waves.

He turned to look at Noctis. Noctis looked back at him, nonplused. 

They both realized they hadn’t spent any time alone since Noctis and Ignis had appeared.

“Let’s walk,” Noctis said, pointing down the beach.

“Yeah, sure,” Noct said, carrying his boots in one hand.

They were silent for a while, the only sound the waves crashing into the beach, the birds overhead.

“I am sorry about yesterday,” Noctis said finally. 

Noct grunted. He stopped walking, looking back at Iggy’s distant form on the rock.

“I never wanted to be king.”

“I know,” Noctis said.

Noct snorted. “Of course you know. You didn’t want it any more than I did.”

Noctis nodded, staring out over the waves with his hands shoved in his pockets. “Still, I should’ve found a different way to break the news to you.”

“That I’m the spare?” Noct said a little bitterly.

Noctis looked at him. “You’re still the prince. You have the connection to the Crystal, to magic, the guard.”

“Exactly, I’m the spare chosen king,” Noct said, crossing his arms. “If you fuck up and die before you do whatever it is we’re supposed to do, I get to go through what you did.”

_I would have to leave Iggy for ten years_ was the unspoken thought running through Noct’s mind.

“I’m not going to fuck it up, Noct,” Noctis said.

“No one can promise that. You might know what’s supposed to happen, but won’t you being here change things?”

Noctis shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t know why we were plucked from our time when we were so close to ending it. I just know I have the opportunity to give you and your Ignis a better life. I can save him, stop him from going blind. And that…that means more to me than I can say.”

Noct sighed. “What did happen to him?”

Noctis shook his head. “I don’t know. He never told me. He only ever said it was a small sacrifice in the greater battle. I always wondered if Gladio knew, and that’s why Gladio treated me like shit after Altissia, but now I guess I’ll never know.”

Noct was silent, kicking at the sand with his bare feet. “Why do you think it was only you and Ignis? Why not Gladio and Prompto too?”

“I don’t know. It would’ve made things easier, maybe, but let’s be honest, Gladio and Gladio would be butting heads the entire time.”

“Oh gods, you’re right. They’d be constantly trying to prove who was stronger.”

Noctis chuckled.

“Iggy and I talked about running away,” Noct blurted.

Noctis looked at him sadly. “I’m not surprised. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t.”

“I wanted to,” Noct said.

“I know. He talk about the lake house?”

Noct stared. “How…”

Noctis smiled. “Ignis and I talked about it many times. It was always an impossible dream, of course. For us. But…for you two…”

Noctis looked at him. “When this is over, you can do whatever you want. You and Iggy can disappear.”

“What about the kingdom?” Noct asked. He thought about living with Iggy, not having to deal with the politics and the ass kissing that came with it.

“That is up to you,” Noctis said quietly. “Cor, the Cor from the future, had built up a council to rebuild Lucis after the long night. I had told him that Lucis should forge its own future, and not be dependent on an old system of royalty. It was a chance to start over. And, there would be no royalty left after I died.”

Noct looked at his toes, wiggling in the sand.

“You don’t have to decide now, Noct. If you decide to never rule, or whatever you all decide to do after I’m gone, that’s fine.”

“You…you don’t think Dad would be mad if I didn’t?” Noct asked quietly.

Noctis felt his eyes burn. “I think Dad would want you to be happy before anything. That was all he ever wanted.”

Noct nodded. They stood there in silence, lost in their thoughts.

“What about Ignis?” Noct whispered. “What happens to him after you…after you’re gone?”

Noctis swallowed hard. “I don’t know, Noct. I just don’t know.”

FFXV

Iggy looked up as the two men walk closer. They weren’t talking, but it seemed like they were reconciled. 

Iggy looked away. Seeing both of them hurt. Knowing what was coming, what Noctis had faced, made him want to scream.

He stayed silent as they drew even with him. He stood up and walked with them, none of them saying a word.

Noct walked between Ignis and Noctis. Noctis glanced at Iggy out of the corner of his eye, fighting a smile.

While it seemed that Noct had forgiven him, he wasn’t sure if Iggy had. He was okay with that. Noct needed Iggy to be there for him, and if that meant that Iggy would be mad at him, well, that was fine. 

They walked past the Regalia and started up the hill towards the house. Noct stopped, looking at Noctis and Iggy.

“Race?” he asked.

“What?” Iggy said.

“Race you both to the house!” Noct yelled, throwing his engine blade and warping away.

Noctis and Iggy stood there, identical looks of surprise on their faces.

“You little…was I really like that?” Noctis asked, summoning his own blade and warping after Noct. 

Iggy shook his head, walking sedately back to the house. He couldn’t believe them, but he could. He was glad that Noct seemed to be doing better. He was marginally glad that Noctis had forgotten his troubles for a time.

He crested the hill to see the two men sitting on the steps, waiting for him. He shook his head as he walked by them, fighting a smile. They walked into the house, the scents of breakfast filling the house.

Iris helped Ignis hand out plates, everyone thanking them and eating happily.

Iggy couldn’t help comparing Ignis’ cooking to his own. He ate silently next to Noct, staring at his plate.

He wondered again what had happened to Ignis in Altissia.

He wondered if he really wanted to know.

FFXV

After breakfast, they all moved outside to talk about a plan for Altissia.

“Do we have a plan?” Gladio asked.

“We need to stop Luna from summoning Leviathan,” Noctis said. “I already have the covenant with her, and we seriously don’t want that bitch wrecking the city again.”

“The problem was we were kept from seeing the Lady Lunafreya by Secretary Claustra,” Ignis said.

“Yeah, she made us split up and that was a mistake,” Noctis said firmly. 

“The Empire will show up to try to stop the Hydrean, and we need to get Lady Lunafreya out before that happens,” Ignis continued.

“I need to talk to Ardyn, let him know we’re not going to deal with his bullshit.”

“That doesn’t sound safe,” Monica said.

“It won’t be. Ardyn won’t be happy that I don’t plan on playing his games,” Noctis said.

“So, what do we do?” Prompto asked. He had been hoping to see Altissia just a bit, even knowing what was coming.

Noctis ran his fingers through his hair. “We’ll head out as soon as possible, and yes, you guys can have a day to explore the city. It was…is…a beautiful place. If confusing.”

Ignis tensed next to him. Noctis took his hand.

“We’ll go to Maagho’s first, talk to Weskham. While we’re there, Camelia should show up. Now, Noct, I…I’m going to ask you do to something,” Noctis said.

Noct stared at him. “Okay. What?”

“Let Camelia believe you’re the king. She’ll ask to speak to you, to _negotiate_ with you. Agree to meet her.”

“Uh…sure.”

“You’ll go to this negotiation,” Noctis said, “be polite, agree to whatever she asks.”

“This doesn’t seem like much of a plan,” Noct said, confused.

“I’m going to kick down the door and make her agree to _my_ terms,” Noctis said darkly. “I’m going to save her stupid city from flood and ruin, and she’ll agree to it, or I’ll just have to tie her ass up in the office and leave her there.”

Everyone stared at him. 

“Wow,” Iris said.

Gladio grinned, clapping his hands together. “This is a plan I can get behind.”

Ignis remained silent, fingers tensing around Noctis’.

“Who goes with you?” Dustin asked.

Noctis sat forward. “The six of us, Cid drives the boat. Cor, I’d like you to come this time.”

“I want to come,” Iris said.

“No,” Noctis said immediately. “You and Talcott have to stay.”

They both cried out in anger, shouting at Noctis. Noctis raised his hand, and they both fell silent.

“Even knowing what is coming, it will not be safe. If we can’t get to Luna, she’s going to start the ceremony, and then it will turn into a warzone. I will not have you two there. I need you both here, starting to prep things for taking Insomnia back.”

“We can help!” Talcott said.

Noctis shook his head. 

“I agree with his majesty,” Cor said quietly. “You’re both too young, and Clarus would kill me if I let anything happen to you. Monica and Dustin will remain behind as well.”

“Cindy, can you contact the hunters and start rounding them up. I don’t know exactly what’s going to happen. There shouldn’t be a long night, but I fully expect the daemons to get stronger.”

“Can do,” Cindy said.

“We’ll send word to the hunters in Duscae,” Monica said, “if Cindy can handle Leide.”

Cindy nodded. Iris and Talcott still looked mutinous. The two of them stood up and walked back inside, shoulders tight.

Gladio looked at Noctis. “Thank you,” he said quietly. “Thank you for not letting her come.”

Noctis nodded.

“The boat’s ready,” Cid said. “We can leave when y’all are ready.”

Noctis looked at everyone. “Pack a small bag. We leave this afternoon.”

Slowly, everyone dispersed until only Noctis and Ignis remained. Noctis stood up and pulled Ignis to his feet. He tucked his arm through Ignis’ and they started to walk slowly.

“You okay?” Noctis asked.

“I am afraid to go back to Altissia. I do not want to go back to that city.”

“I know, Ignis. I don’t either.”

“I hate that city,” Ignis said quietly.

“I know. So do I.”

They walked to the lighthouse, riding the elevator up to the top. Noctis led him to the rail, and they leaned against it, listening to the sound of the wind and the waves.

“I’m scared, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, slipping his arms around Ignis’ waist. Ignis wrapped his arms around him, resting his head against Noctis. “Seeing them, hearing them. Gods, Noct and Iggy…”

“I don’t want to lose you, Noctis,” Ignis whispered, “and I know I will.”

Noctis didn’t reply. He rested his head against Ignis’ chest, listening to his heart beat.

“You know I love you, Ignis, right?”

“And I love you, my king.”

They stood in the sun, the clouds dancing overhead.

FFXV

Gladio carried their bags to the boat. Everyone was ready to go.

As ready as they could be. 

Noct and Iggy stood off to the side, fingers laced together. Gladio was glad to see them be more open with their relationship than they had before. Prompto was chatting up Cindy. Iris, Talcott, Monica, and Dustin were there to see them off.

Noctis and Ignis joined them, both slightly sunburned. Cor and Cid walked back from the boat. They had just loaded the Regalia on board, although Noctis had told them they hopefully wouldn’t need her.

“We ready?” Noctis asked, looking around.

“Yup!” Prompto said cheerfully. He was excited, even knowing what was coming. He had always wanted to ride on a boat.

_No_ , Ignis thought, _I will never be ready to go back to that city._ He remained silent.

“Let’s take a group photo before we head out,” Prompto said, setting up his tripod. Everyone moved together, Noctis guiding Ignis. 

Noct stood next to his older self, Iggy at his side. Cor stood next to Ignis, and Gladio was next to him. Prompto crouched in front with Iris and Talcott. Dustin and Monica stood next to Cid, and Cindy stood next to Iggy. 

The camera flashed, and Prompto ran to check. “This is great. Thanks, guys.”

“I want a copy of that, ya hear?” Cindy said. 

“You got it!” Prompto said with a grin.

Noctis looked at the four younger men. He remembered leaving the first time, and how Cid had told them that they were more than his bodyguards, they were his brothers.

He squeezed Ignis’ hand. It was still true. Perhaps, it was more true than it had ever been before.

They walked down the dock and climbed onto the boat, waving at Iris and Talcott.

“Stay safe!” Iris yelled as Cid started the boat. “All of you better come back!”

Prompto and Gladio waved back. Ignis dropped onto a seat, tense and unhappy but trying to hide it. Noctis sat next to him.

Noct and Iggy stood at the stern of the boat, watching the lighthouse grow smaller and smaller.

They were on their way to Altissia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are love!


	8. Chapter Eight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They reach Altissia, talk to Weskham, explore the city, and Gladio and Noct fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright hey, let's post another chapter. Please tell me what you think of this one. Please. I'm begging a little bit here.  
> Longer chapter. Please enjoy.
> 
> not beta-ed

They were silent as the boat pulled out from the hidden harbor under the lighthouse. Cor stood next to Cid while he steered them for Altissia. Noct and Iggy stood near the stern. Noctis and Ignis sat on the forward seats, with Gladio and Prompto behind them.

“I’ve always wanted to go sailing like this,” Prompto said, standing up as they hit open water. He hung over the side of the boat, watching the water.

“Not many opportunities in Insomnia,” Gladio said, watching him.

Noctis smiled. He remembered how excited Prompto had been when they left. Hell, they had all been excited. He had been excited to see Lunafreya again, even if he hadn’t really wanted to marry her.

He glanced at Ignis, sitting silently beside him. He’d had Ignis. He hadn’t wanted to marry Luna.

But he hadn’t wanted her to die for him either. 

The cost of Altissia was just too high. 

He squeezed Ignis’ hand, bringing his attention back to the conversations around them.

Noctis noticed there was none of the teasing about Luna that had happened the first time. Now that they knew, it didn’t seem like something to laugh about. He sighed, resting his head against Ignis’ shoulder.

Would they be able to save Luna? 

“I was thinking back to our encounter with Ravus,” Iggy said. Gladio grunted, crossing his arms.

“Do you recall an apparatus in place of his arm?” Iggy continued.

“Yeah, I remember,” Gladio half growled. That arm, Ravus throwing him around like he was nothing more than a toy, was what had sent him to the Blademaster. It was hard to forget the feeling of being weak.

“Seems he lost his old one in the invasion,” Iggy said.

“He put on the Ring of the Lucii,” Noctis said. Everyone fell silent, looking at him in shock. Even Ignis seemed surprised.

“How do you know that?” Noct asked.

Noctis smiled wryly. “The ten years I spent in the Crystal I wasn’t just asleep. Bahamut was…teaching me things. Telling me about Ardyn, and the power of gods, and the sacrifice I would have to make. He also showed me what happened in Insomnia. Ravus tried to put on the ring and was found wanting. His arm was taken because of it.”

“He was lucky to come out alive,” Ignis muttered.

“Unlucky for us,” Gladio said.

“Not really,” Noctis said. “He saw the error of his ways, and tried to get Dad’s sword back to me.”

“How did the arm grant him so much power?” Iggy asked.

Noctis turned and looked at him. “It’s a Niflheim thing. Like a piece of a Magitek trooper. It was, is, part daemon.”

“That explains why a son of Tenebrae is suddenly leading the Nif army,” Gladio said.

“It destroyed him in the end,” Ignis whispered.

Silence fell over them again. 

“Do we know where Ravus is right now?” Prompto asked.

“Altissia,” Ignis said quietly, hand tightening on Noctis’. “With the chancellor.”

Noct shuddered slightly. He really didn’t like that creep. And finding out who he truly was… _what_ he truly was certainly didn’t help. 

“Are we there yet?” Prompto asked.

Noctis snorted. 

Some things never changed.

FFXV

Noctis watched the younger men stare in awe at the massive gates of the city. He had to admit it was a beautiful place.

If only it wasn’t tainted with so many horrible memories.

Cid flashed his old pass, and they pulled closer. Prompto kept taking photos.

Ignis sat tense and silent next to Noctis. Ignis had never thought he’d come back to this city, this hell. He wondered if maybe he really was dead and this was hell, to relive Altissia over and over for eternity.

The boat bumped against the dock, and Cor leapt to the dock to tie it up. He stood back as everyone got off, all of them swaying slightly as they got used to being on more solid land.

“Let’s go,” Noctis said.

“What about immigration?” Cor asked.

“Iggy can get us in,” Noctis said, throwing a smile at Iggy. Ignis remembered getting them in before.

Iggy blinked, then shrugged. 

“What is the purpose of your visit?” The gatekeeper asked.

“We’re students of the culinary arts,” Iggy said, saying the first thing that came to his mind. “We’ve come to study the renowned cuisine of your nation.”

Noct stared at Iggy. Iggy gave him a look.

“I wish you an enlightening stay,” the man said.

Gladio led them through, biting back a laugh.

“Culinary students, really?” Gladio asked, looking at Iggy.

“I didn’t see you coming up with anything,” Iggy said.

Noctis laughed. “It worked the first time too.”

“Now what?” Prompto asked, turning around to look around the bustling city.

“We’ll head to Maagho,” Noctis said, “check in with Weskham and figure it out from there.”

“Sounds good,” Cor said, pushing through the crowd. The others followed.

Ignis walked silently next to Noctis, their arms brushing so he knew where Noctis was. He wanted to grab hold of Noctis and never let go.

He wanted to get the hell out of this city.

“I don’t think all of us will fit in one gondola,” Noctis said. “Why don’t the four of you take that one, and me, Ignis, Cor, and Cid will catch another.”

“Okay,” Prompto said easily. He followed Gladio onto the gondola, nearly pitching over the side into the canal.

Gladio rolled his eyes and dragged Prompto to the seat while Iggy and Noct got in.

“Where to, gentlemen?” the gondolier asked.

“Maagho, please,” Iggy said.

“Of course!” 

The gondola pushed away from the dock, rocking gently with each push of the oar.

“What a pain in the ass,” Noct muttered.

“What?” Iggy asked.

Noct gestured around. “This city. I’ve barely seen any of it, but it’s a maze. And taking gondolas everywhere seems…I dunno, not very efficient.”

“Dude, it’s so romantic though!” Prompto said, snapping a picture of him and Iggy.

“Can you imagine living here, though? No cars, no bikes, no _chocobos_ ,” Noct said slyly.

Prompto’s eyes widened. “You’re right. This is a terrible city. No chocobos.”

Gladio laughed.

“Here we are, gentlemen,” the gondolier said, bringing the gondola to a stop next to Maagho.

Iggy got out, helping Noct and Prompto from the gondola while Gladio leapt onto the dock.

“Welcome to Accordo, lads, Cid mentioned you’d be coming,” a man said, stepping out from behind the bar.

They turned.

“Weskham Armaugh, as you’ve gathered,” Weskham said, holding his hand out for Noct to shake. Noct took it, feeling Weskham scrutinize him. “My, you’ve grown, little prince.”

Noct felt his cheeks flush.

“Cid and the others should be here momentarily,” Iggy said as Weskham shook his hand. Weskham looked pleasantly surprised.

“Cid didn’t mention he was actually going to leave the boat. Who are the others?”

“Cor Leonis and…we’ll, the others are easier to explain once they’re here,” Iggy said.

“And Cor, too!” Weskham said in delight. “It’s going to be old home week.”

Weskham introduced himself to Prompto and Gladio.

“So, this is your maiden visit. Enjoying it so far?”

Noct wasn’t sure how to answer that question. They had just arrived, and given that they knew what was coming, he wasn’t sure that ‘enjoy’ was the right word.

“I’m afraid we haven’t had much time to look around. We came straight here,” Iggy said, giving Noct a way not to answer. Noct sighed in relief. What would he do without Iggy?

Prompto saw another gondola coming closer. “The others are here.”

Weskham looked around Gladio, smiling widely as Cor stepped out of the gondola.

“Weskham,” Cor said, stepping forward.

“Cor Leonis, as I live and breathe.”

The two men embraced. “It’s been a while,” Cor said.

“Nineteen years, give or take a few months,” Weskham said. “Cid, you old dog, I wasn’t expecting to see you here.”

Cid grinned. “Change of plans.” They hugged tightly. 

It was the first time the three of them had been together in a long time. Weskham wondered what brought them here.

His eyes caught the men standing behind them, and his eyes widened.

Could it really be Regis? He’d heard that the king had been killed…

No. That man was shorter than Regis had been. In fact, both the men standing there looked rather familiar.

He spun, facing Noct and Iggy, then looking back at the older men.

“What the hell?”

“Long story,” Cor said quietly. “They’re why we’re here. And yes, that _is_ Noctis.”

Weskham noticed the Ring of the Lucii on his finger, the weight of destiny on his shoulders. He bowed shortly.

“Welcome to Altissia, majesty.”

Noct’s face shut down slightly, and he turned away. He saw a woman walk closer.

“My dear Camelia, it’s been a while,” Weskham said. 

Noctis spun, half ducking behind Gladio so she wouldn’t see him. He prayed Noct remembered what they had discussed about the first secretary. 

“I heard about your distinguished guests,” Camelia said.

“You have an ear for gossip,” Weskham said, leaning against his bar. Cid lowered himself onto a barstool with a grunt, Cor next to him. 

Camelia turned to face Noct, ignoring the man behind Gladio.

“Gentlemen, I won’t waste your time. My name is Camelia Claustra.”

“First secretary of the Accordo Protectorate,” Iggy said. He remembered what Noctis and Ignis had said about her making them split up, and he decided he didn’t really like this woman.

“You should know,” Camelia said, “we have Lady Lunafreya in our care. And the empire demands we surrender her.”

Noctis growled behind Gladio. Gods, how he wanted to grab this woman by the throat and force her to release Luna to them. 

But that wouldn’t do them any good. Camelia wouldn’t respond well to him just jumping out right then and demanding things from her. But when they saw her tomorrow…he’d go in with the full force of his kingship behind him and force her to listen.

They weren’t splitting up. Not this time.

“Yet, I am loath to acquiesce unless we stand to profit,” she continued. Noctis felt a surge of rage and he pressed his back against Gladio’s, thankful for the solid body at his back. How dare that woman want to profit off the Oracle? 

“Hence I’ve come to discuss terms…with the king of Lucis,” Camelia said. Noct could hear the distaste in her voice. “If you’ve a mind to talk, come to my estate.”

Camelia turned on her heel and walked away, her guards following her.

Noct stared after her. They had to negotiate with that woman?

Weskham turned to look at Noct. “She can be oblique at times, but I assure you her heart is in the right place.”

“She’s a right bitch,” Noctis said bluntly, stepping out from behind Gladio. “Nice job, Noct.”

“She didn’t give me a chance to say anything,” Noct said, still wondering what the hell that was all about.

“Yeah, she’s like that. Just wait until tomorrow.”

Noct grumbled, crossing his arms. “Can’t wait.”

Weskham looked between them all again. “Can someone please explain what’s going on?”

Cor looked at him, then at the six men. “Why don’t the four of you go explore? Enjoy the city.”

“Cor’s right,” Noctis said, looking at them. He could see Prompto itching to go take pictures, and he knew Noct wanted to go fishing. “We’ll meet at the Leville tonight, and make a plan for tomorrow.”

“Oh, uh, okay,” Noct said. Part of him wondered if they were just trying to get rid of the young guys, but the other part didn’t care. He didn’t want to hear Noctis or Cor or any of them explain why they had come from the future again.

“Awesome, I’m going to take so many pictures. You in, big guy?” Prompto asked, looking at Gladio.

“Sure thing,” Gladio said.

“Wait, here,” Noctis said, handing over a large amount of gil.

“Holy crap, that’s a lot of money,” Prompto said.

“Have fun,” Noctis said seriously. “Spend it all. Go to the arena, the arcade. Buy gelato. Go crazy.”

“Thank you,” Iggy said quietly. He hadn’t failed to notice that his older self hadn’t said a word since they’d arrived. He split the money between the four of them, and they got into a waiting gondola, heading back towards the main dock.

Noctis watched them leave before turning back to Weskham. “You might want a drink for this,” he said, pulling Ignis to the bar. 

Weskham poured drinks for all of them, listening intently as Noctis started talking quietly.

FFXV

Noct, Iggy, Prompto, and Gladio stood in front of the Leville, shuffling awkwardly. They all felt like they had been chased away from the bar.

“So…” Prompto said.

Gladio looked at Noct and Iggy. They both looked tired, and he wondered how much sleep they had gotten on the beach.

“Why don’t we split up?” Gladio said. “We have our phones, so we can stay in touch. I’ll stay with Prompto, you guys can do your own thing.”

Prompto’s eyes lit up, and he looked back at Noct and Iggy.

“Yeah, sounds good,” Noct said quietly.

“Right then. Should we meet up again in say, three, four hours?” Gladio asked.

“Four hours. Back here. It should be about the time the others show up at the Leville as well,” Iggy said.

“Cool. C’mon, blondie. Let’s get moving.”

Noct watched Prompto and Gladio head off, Prompto already talking excitedly and snapping pictures. He looked up at Iggy.

“Where to?” Noct asked.

Iggy shrugged. “I’ll follow wherever you lead.”

“You okay?” Noct asked.

Iggy was silent for a moment, looking around the city.

“I’m trying to imagine what being blind is like,” Iggy whispered. “I’m trying not to be terrified.”

Noct took his hand, quiet. He gently pulled Iggy after him, and they started to walk. They didn’t say anything, but took comfort in each other’s presence.

“Hey, look at this,” Noct said, pulling Iggy over to a vendor. It was a Carbuncle stuffed animal. He smiled, picking it up. He made a snap decision and bought it, tucking it under his arm as they walked.

Iggy smiled, relaxing the longer they walked.

No one seemed to recognize Noct as the prince. No one, of course, recognized Iggy. It was nice to be anonymous, just another couple in the sea of tourists.

“Is this what it would be like?” Noct asked, leading Iggy to a dock and pulling his fishing rod out.

“What?” Iggy asked, sitting down next to him.

“Living anonymously. Just being us, instead of prince and advisor, king and glaive.”

“I think so,” Iggy said quietly.

Noct hummed, casting his line. They didn’t speak for a while, the sounds of people chatting around them and the constant roar of the distant waterfalls filling the silence.

“I like it,” Noct whispered after reeling in a fish.

“So do I,” Iggy replied. “So do I.”

FFXV

Weskham poured them all another drink as Noctis finished talking. He stared into the distance, the setting sun reflecting off the water. 

“You have a difficult path ahead,” Weskham said.

“It was never easy. I want to make it easier for Noct. I want him—all of them—to have the life they didn’t get in our time. The life they wouldn’t have gotten if we hadn’t been brought back,” Noctis said quietly.

“I wish you luck. What can I do?”

“Keep an eye out while we’re here,” Noctis said. “Hopefully, we get Luna out before the ceremony starts, but be prepared for some serious damage if the Hydrean is summoned. She’s not pleased about it.”

“She is as changing and fickle as the seas,” Weskham says. “I’ll start having some friends getting people to move quietly to higher ground.”

“Thank you.”

The men sat in silence, watching the patrons talk and laugh and live their lives.

“It’s like they don’t even realize there’s a war going on,” Noctis said.

“They don’t,” Cor said quietly. “It’s the same everywhere. War truly touches a few. The common folk, those not intimately involved in fighting it, or who have never lost someone to the ravages of war, go on with their lives. These people won’t realize that the war is on their doorstep until the empire kicks their doors down and destroys everything they love.”

Ignis nodded, agreeing with Cor. They had lived through that with the long night.

“Another thing,” Noctis said after a moment. “The nights have been getting longer, right?”

Weskham nodded. 

“There is a chance, that before I get to Ardyn and the Crystal, the sun may cease to rise. Stock pile rations, things that can’t be grown. It won’t be for ten years, but even a few days of darkness wreak havoc on fresh food,” Noctis said.

Weskham nodded again, looking at the boats around his bar. “We’ll set a good portion of it aside. Maybe we’ll put it on a boat and take it out far enough away to not be destroyed if Leviathan does show up.”

“Good plan,” Cid growled.

Noctis sighed. “Thank you. We should head for the hotel.”

“You and Ignis go ahead,” Cor said. “Cid and I are going to stay with Weskham for a while longer.”

Noctis smiled. “Sure thing. Don’t throw wild parties. I’d hate to have to bail you out in the morning.”

Cor snorted. “Get out of here and let us be.”

Noctis stood up, pulling Ignis to his feet. Ignis bowed shortly to the others, wishing them a good night. Noctis looped his arm through Ignis’ and led him to the gondola. 

“Leville station, please,” Noctis said. “Take the long way.”

“Of course, sir!”

Noctis leaned into Ignis. Ignis sighed into his hair, arm tightening around him. Noctis rested his hand on Ignis’ thigh. 

“Everything will work out, Ignis.”

“No it won’t,” Ignis whispered. “Because you will be gone, and I will be alone.”

Noctis closed his eyes, leaning his head against Ignis’ chest and listening to his heart hammer away. Noctis felt his eyes burn with tears, and they held each other as the gondola moved slowly through the canals, the gondolier taking his time.

FFXV

Noct and Iggy sat at one of the tables near the Leville, waiting for the others. Noct had Iggy’s hand clasped in his on the table, his Carbuncle plush under his arm.

“Can we really have that house by the lake you talked about?” Noct asked.

“I don’t see why not,” Iggy said quietly. “As a summer home, at least.”

Noct was quiet a moment. “He said…Noctis said that after…after it’s over I could do what I want. He said if I didn’t want to, I don’t have to be king.”

Iggy looked at him, eyes wide. 

“We could just be us, Iggy. No fated destinies, no royal lines to continue, just us. We could live on the lake, just like you said. I’d…I’d really like that.”

“So would I,” Iggy said. He squeezed Noct’s hand. Would it really be possible? Would Noct be able to walk away?

He shook his head minutely. It didn’t matter. No matter what happened, he would stand by Noct.

“I want that house, Iggy. Just us. I wish…I wish we could right now.”

“What are you talking about?” Gladio’s voice came from behind them. He and Prompto stood there, looking at Noct and Iggy.

“Nothing important,” Noct said. The house was his and Iggy’s, the others didn’t need to know about it.

“You’re talking about running away,” Gladio said darkly, crossing his arms.

Noct stood up, Iggy following a moment later. The air was suddenly tense, and Prompto looked worriedly between them.

“You’re going to run off, without thinking about the rest of us? You’re just going to walk away from your responsibilities, from the world, so you and Iggy can go play house?”

“Shut up, you have no idea what you’re talking about,” Noct snapped.

“You’re supposed to be the king!” Gladio yelled.

“You have a king!” Noct snarled. “Right there!” He pointed at Noctis and Ignis as they stepped off the gondola.

“Shit,” Noctis muttered to himself. He knew that the easy comradery was bound to fall apart sooner or later. Ignis stood tense next to him, remembering Gladio in Cartanica.

“There’s your king!” Noct yelled. “He’s everything I’m not, everything you always tell me I’ll never be. Go be his shield then!”

“You’re still the prince and you still have responsibilities! You can’t just run away and go play hunter whenever shit gets hard,” Gladio stepped close. “You think you and Iggy will live a perfect life together, without dealing with the country. You going to leave it on Cor’s shoulders? You think you can just disappear? You’re a coward.”

“ENOUGH!” Noctis’ voice cracked through the air, silencing everyone in the vicinity.

“Noct, Iggy, go take a walk,” Noctis said. Noct grabbed his Carbuncle plush and Iggy’s hand and dragged him away, eyes burning with tears. 

Gladio glared after them, arms crossed tightly across his chest. “Gladiolus, come walk with me,” Noctis said.

Gladio half sneered at him.

“That was not a request,” Noctis said warningly. Gladio froze, hearing the tone in his voice. He dropped his arms and walked towards Noctis. Noctis squeezed Ignis’ arm and stepped away from him, beckoning Gladio away.

Ignis stood there alone, listening to the muted conversations of the crowds start back up. His heart hammered in his chest. He didn’t want to admit to being afraid, but he felt like he was freshly blinded again.

Moving around Lestallum had been one thing; he had learned Lestallum intimately and could navigate it easily. But this city…this city was his nightmare. He could step right off the edge into the water and have no idea where he was or where the ledge was.

He felt a hand brush his arm.

“Ignis?” Prompto asked.

Ignis took a deep breath and focused on Prompto.

“You want to go get gelato with me?” Prompto asked. He had seen the lost expression on Ignis’ face when Noctis walked away. He wanted to help.

Ignis swallowed. He remembered how helpful Prompto had been on the train and in Cartanica. Prompto was there for him, even now.

“I would like that,” Ignis said hoarsely, “but I’m afraid I may run into someone.”

“I can guide you, if you want. Maybe, you could just put your hand on my shoulder?” Prompto said. He didn’t want to overwhelm Ignis.

Ignis reached out, his hand finding Prompto’s shoulder. “Thank you, Prompto.”

Prompto smiled widely, walking slowly through the crowd to the gelato stand. “My pleasure, Ignis.”

Ignis followed him, Prompto’s shoulder warm and solid beneath his hand. 

“Here we are,” Prompto said. “Let’s see, they have tons of flavors.”

“Read them to me?” Ignis asked.

“Course!” Prompto said. Prompto started listing off the flavors.

“So many choices,” Ignis said. “I’d like the Bacio, please.”

“Right away, sir,” the vendor said, getting Ignis’ ready. The vendor turned to Prompto. “And you?”

“Double chocolate chip,” Prompto said with a grin. He handed over the gil and took their gelato, handing Ignis his.

“Thank you, Prompto,” Ignis said, humming in delight at the taste.

“You’re more than welcome. Let’s go sit down while everyone works out their issues.”

Prompto led him to the table Noct and Iggy vacated and they sat down, eating companionably.

“Prompto?” Ignis asked.

“Yeah?”

“Did you wish to know what happened to you after being pushed from the train?” Ignis asked quietly. “You…Prompto, that is, told me one night, about a year into the long night. So I could only tell you what I know, as I was not there.”

Prompto took another bite of his gelato, thinking.

“You know what, I’m good,” Prompto said after a moment. Ignis looked briefly surprised. “We’re not going to Gralea this time. The same thing won’t happen. If you tell me, I’ll spend the entire time completely freaking out about it, wondering when it’s going to happen to me, how it would’ve changed me. Thank you, though.”

Ignis smiled. “That is a very wise way to look at things, Prompto.”

“Gelato is my thinkin’ food,” Prompto said with a grin.

Ignis chuckled. Prompto started telling him a story about chocobos, trying to distract Ignis from being in the city.

It wasn’t really working, but Ignis appreciated the effort. He’d forgotten how Prompto had been the sunshine of their group before Altissia. The Prompto during the long night was harder, tougher, darker.

They’d all had to be.

Ignis listened to him, enjoying the moment.

FFXV

Gladio and Noctis walked slowly. Noctis led him up some stairs behind the hotel and down another set, ending up in an alley overlooking a canal.

“What was that about?” Noctis asked, leaning against the wall and looking at Gladio.

“They were talking about running away,” Gladio said quietly. “Dodging his responsibility again.”

Noctis sighed. “I know. Noct told me they had talked about it before we left Lucis.”

Gladio looked at him. “You knew?”

“Of course I knew. Ignis and I talked about it all the time. It was a foolish dream for us. Why does it bother you so much?”

Gladio looked down. “I’m confused. I…I’m supposed to be the shield. But I don’t know who I’m supposed to protect. Noct, who I’ve been with for years, or you, the king.”

“Noct needs you. You need to stop and think before you speak sometimes, Gladio. On the train, after Altissia, gods, the things you said. I wanted to run away, from you. You were a right asshole, and the four of you are stronger together, but you nearly tore them, us, apart. It was terrible.” He took a deep breath. “Do you think it’s easy for him? He’s had everything he’s known taken away by an older version of himself. He found out he’s been on his way to his death since he was a child. He needs his friends, Gladio, and trust me when I say he does count you among them.”

Gladio looked at his hands. “I miss my dad,” he said suddenly, blinking back tears.

Noctis stepped forward, one hand coming to rest on Gladio’s shoulder. “You’re allowed to show emotion, Gladio. Noct doesn’t need you to shut yourself away and be a pillar, he needs you to be his friend and show emotion. You both, _we_ both, lost our fathers. There were times…times I wanted to talk about it to you, but you always had that wall up between us. I thought I had to be strong.”

“You are strong,” Gladio said. “You’re the king, and it seems like you’re everything you should be.”

“Noct is strong, too,” Noctis said quietly. “He told me they talked about running away, that they seriously considered it. But you know what?”

“What?” Gladio asked, looking at the ground.

“They both decided to stay. They didn’t run. They decided to stick with us, see it through to the end.”

“But…what about after?”

Noctis smiled sadly. “That is up to Noct. But if he doesn’t want to be king…I don’t blame him. He doesn’t need to be king. I’m here so he can have a chance to live, Gladio, so you can all have a chance to live. I’m here so he can be free.”

Gladio nodded slowly. “I understand. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me,” Noctis said quietly. “Apologize to Noct. Be his friend, not just his shield.”

“I’m not sure I know how to be anything else,” Gladio said. 

“You’ll learn,” Noctis said, “you’ll have all the time in the world.”

FFXV

Noct and Iggy sat on the edge of the fishing pier, legs hanging into the water. Noct’s face was streaked with tears, and he sniffed as he stared into the water.

“I’m not a coward,” Noct said, voice wavering slightly.

“No, you’re not,” Iggy said firmly. “We’re all stressed, Noct. Things were bound to come to a head. I’d rather we figure it all out now than tomorrow when we see the first secretary.”

“You’ll be with me thought, right? No matter what?”

“Always,” Iggy whispered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please please pretty please tell me what you think.


	9. Chapter Nine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gladio and Noct talk, Ignis and Iggy talk, and Noctis is crowned officially.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. Please enjoy it. The next chapter gets really quite heavy.
> 
> not beta-ed
> 
> Let me know what you think.

Gladio and Noctis walked slowly back to the Leville. They didn’t talk, but the silence was companionable, if heavy. Noctis had held Gladio while the bigger man cried, finally breaking down and grieving for his father and his home and the life he thought he’d have.

“Thank you,” Gladio said gruffly as they rounded the corner and the Leville came into view. 

Noctis glanced up at the taller man. He took in the differences to his Gladio. This Gladio didn’t have ten years of sorrow weighing down on him. His eyes weren’t as haunted as they would be in the future.

“You’re welcome,” Noctis said after a moment. “But you really need to talk to Noct.”

Gladio sighed, shoulders slumping. “I know.”

“He doesn’t hate you,” Noctis said quietly. “I didn’t hate you. For a time, on the train after Altissia and in Cartanica, I wanted to hate you. I wanted to punch you in the face so bad, you have no idea. Yes, you were a complete and total dickhead, not just to me but all of us, but you kept pushing us forward. You got us to where we needed…where _I_ needed to be, to do what needed to be done.”

“I’m sorry, for all that.”

“Why? Technically, it wasn’t you. For you, it hasn’t happened. It won’t happen. Yes, you have the potential to be like that, to be a dick and drive us apart, but you also have the capacity to bring us together if you take a moment to think before you speak.”

Gladio nodded again. He ran his fingers through his hair.

“It’s hard, trying to figure this all out. Between you and Noct and everything…”

“Believe me, I know,” Noctis said quietly. “You think it’s easy to see Noct? To see what I was? Or gods, seeing Iggy with his face so perfect and those green eyes looking at me in shock…” His voice was thick. He shook his head.

“What did happen to Ignis?” Gladio asked softly.

“I honestly don’t know. He never told me. He refused to tell me. He’d only ever say it was a small sacrifice. Sometimes I wonder if you, if Gladio that is, knew and that’s why he was so disgusted with me after Altissia.”

Gladio frowned. “I thought he told you everything.”

“It was the one thing he’d never tell me,” Noctis said. “I still blame myself.”

Gladio looked up. Prompto and Ignis were sitting at one of the tables, eating gelato. Prompto was telling an elaborate story of some kind, and Ignis was smiling.

Noctis stared at Ignis’ smile, his chest tightening.

Maybe…maybe Ignis wouldn’t be alone after he was gone. Maybe he could make a life for himself here.

Gladio put his hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “We won’t let him be alone after the end. I doubt he’ll want to be around Noct, but we’ll make sure he’s okay.”

Noctis looked up at him. He thought Gladio was probably right. It would hurt Ignis to be around Noct at all. He imagined if Ignis died and he was left, being around Iggy would be horribly painful. “Thank you. I appreciate that more than you’ll ever know.”

Gladio squeezed his shoulder, his eyes drawn to Prompto. Prompto’s laugh rang over the crowd, Ignis’ chuckle a low counter point. 

Noctis watched him. “You should tell him.”

Gladio spun, facing him with wide eyes. Noctis smirked.

“Trust me, Gladio, you never know when shit will go south. Take any opportunity to be with the ones you love. Tell them you love them. It could all be torn away at any moment.”

Gladio flushed, looking away. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Noctis smiled wryly. “Keep telling yourself that. C’mon, let’s join them.”

He led Gladio to the table, touching Ignis’ shoulder and dropping down next to him. He flashed a grateful smile at Prompto. Prompto smiled back, finishing his gelato.

The four men talked for a moment, then Noctis looked at Prompto.

“Can you text or call Noct and Iggy? Tell them to come back.”

“Gotcha,” Prompto said, pulling out his phone. He shot them both a quick text, then went back to talking to Ignis.

Noctis watched Gladio watch Prompto, fingers laced with Ignis’. 

Everything would work out when he was gone. 

Ignis would be okay.

He had to be.

FFXV

Noct and Iggy’s phones buzzed at the same time. Iggy looked at his, Noct’s head heavy on his shoulder.

“It’s from Prompto. They’re asking us to come back.”

Noct groaned. “Do we have to? No, don’t answer. Okay, let’s go.” He got to his feet with a groan and pulled Iggy to his feet. He tucked his Carbuncle plush under his arm and they climbed into the waiting gondola. 

They were silent for the short ride back to the Leville. Iggy tipped the gondolier and helped Noct onto the dock. He glanced up, seeing the four men sitting at the table and talking easily.

Noct watched them too. “What if they don’t need us?” he whispered hoarsely.

Iggy squeezed his arm. He didn’t say anything. He wasn’t sure if there was anything he could say.

The two men walked slowly to the table, sitting down at the two vacant chairs. Noct refused to look at Gladio. Noctis sighed.

“You guys have got to try the gelato,” Prompto said. “It’s so good.”

“I’ll pass, thanks,” Noct said. “Not a fan of mushy desserts.”

“Gelato’s not mushy!” Prompto said, sounding scandalized.

Noct grinned. “Whatever.”

Noctis laughed quietly. “Should we check into the hotel? I don’t want to plan tomorrow out in the open.”

“Sure thing,” Gladio said, standing up. Noct still wouldn’t look at him. 

They all stood up and walked the short distance to the hotel. 

“How are we gonna afford this?” Prompto hissed at Iggy, staring at the prices.

Iggy shrugged helplessly. They definitely didn’t have enough gil left for even one night in this hotel.

“It’s fine,” Noctis said. “Ignis and I have plenty of gil. It came with us.”

“How’d you get so much?” Prompto asked.

“Everything reverted to a barter system in the long night,” Ignis said quietly, “so there was no need to spend it. It’s just been sitting around.”

Noctis paid for the royal suite, knowing it had enough beds for everyone to double up. He led the way up the stairs, feet dragging slightly.

The last time he had been in this room, he’d woken up to find Luna dead and Ignis blinded.

He unlocked the door with trembling hands, hoping no one noticed.

He looked around the room, swallowing bile. Maybe he shouldn’t have gotten this room.

Prompto touched his shoulder as the others went into the room. 

“Damn, Noct, this place is nicer than your room at the Citadel!” Prompto said with a laugh.

“Of course it is,” Iggy said dryly, “housekeeping comes in no matter what here. He wouldn’t let them into his rooms at the Citadel.”

Noct stuck his tongue out at Iggy. “They would’ve moved stuff around. I knew where everything was.”

“Uh huh,” Gladio said.

Noctis laughed, feeling some of his uneasiness leave him. “I remember that.”

“Yes,” Ignis said, “I tried to clean and you would freak out if I touched anything.”

“I didn’t want you to find my collection of gay porn,” Noctis deadpanned.

“Well, there goes that secret,” Noct said with a laugh. Everyone looked at each other and then laughed.

The six men finally relaxed, sitting down. 

“So…tomorrow?” Prompto asked quietly.

“We’ll meet the first secretary in the morning. Noct, you’ll go in. Do your best, whatever feels right,” Noctis said.

Ignis nodded. “You did wonderfully the first time.”

Noct frowned, feeling a little overwhelmed. “Okay, then what?”

“I’ll come in and get her to fold,” Noctis said firmly. “We’re not splitting up this time. We should be able to get to Luna before she goes to give her speech and start the rite. Then we get the hell out of here.”

“Do we have a backup plan?” Gladio asked.

“Stick together and fight like hell?” Noctis said.

“That…is not altogether comforting,” Gladio said.

Noctis shrugged. “I have no idea how Ardyn will react to all this. We need to be on our guard. Sleep well tonight, if you can.”

Ignis sighed. “I will try to think of some plan in case everything goes south.”

“Thanks,” Noctis said.

Iggy stood up, walking slowly around the room and looking at the fine furniture. It did remind him a bit of the Citadel, and he felt a wave of homesickness.

Gladio took a deep breath and looked at Noct. “Can we take a walk and talk, Noct?”

Noct blinked at him, glancing between Gladio and Noctis. “Yeah, okay.” He stood up, following Gladio to the door. He waved briefly at Iggy, following the bigger man out the door and back onto the streets.

Gladio stuck his hands in his pockets as they walked. Noct stared at the ground, neither man saying anything.

Finally, Gladio drew to a halt.

“Look, I’m bad at this,” Gladio said. “But…I’m sorry for what I said earlier. I let my temper get the better of me. It’s just…aw, shit, I don’t know.”

Noct stared at his feet. “I…It’s hard, Gladio. Seeing the way everyone defers to Noctis, and finding out that I...we…shit, have been groomed for death since being chosen? I just want to be normal.” His voice cracked slightly.

Gladio sighed. “I know, Noct,” he whispered. “I wish I could bear that burden for you.”

Noct nodded, still not looking at Gladio.

“I just…don’t know what to think,” Gladio said quietly. “Having two of you around confuses me.”

“How do you think I feel?” Noct asked with a strangled laugh.

Gladio chuckled. “Yeah, I bet it’s weird.”

Noct took a deep breath and looked at him. “Can we…can we talk after this is over? After Noctis…after he…after…”

“Yeah,” Gladio said quietly. “Yeah, we can talk then. Figure out what’s going to happen, with you, with the country.”

He shifts for a moment. “I’ll try to support you, no matter what your decision. That’s what the shield is for, right?”

Noct smiled slightly. “And to be my strength, right?”

“You know it.”

“C’mon, let’s head back,” Noct said quietly. Gladio nodded, and the two men set off in an easy silence. There were still unanswered questions between them, especially concerning what would happen when Noctis was dead and the weight of destiny didn’t weigh Noct down, but for the moment at least, they were at ease with each other. 

FFXV

Iggy stepped out onto the balcony, staring out over the lights of the city. He sighed, resting his elbows on the balustrade.

He looked over the city, trying to memorize every little detail. He closed his eyes, trying to call the exact shade of Noct’s eyes to mind, the freckles across Prompto’s cheeks, the bushiness of Gladio’s eyebrows.

He opened his eyes. It was harder than he realized. Even having just seen them moments ago, he knew he had some details wrong.

What was it like for Ignis?

He clenched his fists, lifting his head to look back over the city. He could just make out Gladio and Noct walking back to the hotel, and countless other tourists out and about. He looked at the colors of the lights and the city and tried to commit it to memory.

Just in case something went wrong tomorrow.

“Memorizing the city?” Ignis asked from behind him.

Iggy gasped, slamming his hip into the railing as he spun. His older self stood behind him, reaching a hand out until he found the rail. He leaned against it, looking for all the world like he too was looking over the city.

“I…ah…” Iggy said.

“It’s quite understandable,” Ignis said quietly. “I try to recall, but it’s not always easy.”

Iggy swallowed.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Ignis said after a moment. 

Iggy looked at him sharply. “I most certainly have not.”

“Yes, you have. It’s fine, I’ve been avoiding you as well.”

Iggy’s shoulders slumped slightly.

“Forgive me,” Iggy said. “I have no idea how to act around you.”

Ignis nodded. “Understandable. I find myself confused around you as well. I can only imagine what it is like to _see_ me.”

Iggy swallowed, looking over Ignis’ face again. He recognized himself, of course. The same nose, same cheekbones, same jaw line. But the scars stood out starkly against his skin. Over his left eye, running over the skin like stars streaking across the sky. Across his nose, and his eyebrow. His lower lip, split and scarred.

“Not pretty, is it?” Ignis asked.

Iggy looked away, feeling shame well in him.

“I’m sorry—”

“You have nothing to be sorry for,” Ignis said. “You did not do this to me. And before you ask, I will not tell you what happened.”

Iggy made a sound of protest. Ignis turned to face him, sightless eye staring over his shoulder.

“If I told you, you’d spend the entire day looking for it to happen again,” Ignis whispered. 

“Not knowing doesn’t help,” Iggy said swiftly. 

“I know you, Ignis,” the older man said quietly. “It’s all you’ve been thinking of since you laid eyes on me. My gods, you’ve thought, what happens to me? I wish…I wish I could tell you, but I have no desire to relive that experience. I am sorry, but I can’t.”

Iggy sighed, nodding. “I’m sorry I pushed you.”

The two men were silent for a moment.

“I am quite jealous of you, you know,” Ignis said conversationally. 

Iggy stared at him. “Why?”

Ignis smiled. The smile was so bitter it looked like it would shatter into a million pieces. “Because you have seen Noctis. You know what the king looks like and I…I have trouble recalling his face from before. I try. I try to remember the color of his eyes, or the way his lips curl when he smiled, or how his forehead scrunched when I tried to make him eat vegetables, but it’s fading. Every day I lose a little piece of him. No matter how hard I try to hold onto his image, his face, it slips away.”

He fell silent for a moment. Iggy stared at him, surprised to feel his own eyes starting to burn with tears.

“I have no idea what Noctis truly looks like,” he said quietly. “I can feel the planes of his face, the beard on his cheeks, how time has wearied him. But I cannot put an image to him. No matter how many times anyone describes him to me, how detailed they get…it’s all just words. Meaningless.

“You have seen him. You know what he looks like. And part of me hates you for it.”

Iggy looked away, thinking of the older Noctis. He thought of his face and how truly beautiful he was, and he tried to imagine loving him and not being able to see him.

He couldn’t.

He took a shaky breath. Ignis smiled bitterly again. “It’s not your fault, of course. Forgive me, I am quite tired. And I despise this city.”

“Understandable,” Iggy said quietly.

Iggy wondered if he should leave Ignis alone. It didn’t really seem like the man wanted company. He pushed away from the rail, preparing to leave.

“Wait,” Ignis said, just as Iggy was stepping back into the room.

Iggy paused, foot over the threshold.

“Close the door, please,” Ignis whispered. Iggy did, walking back to Ignis.

Ignis took a deep breath, reaching into his pocket and pulling something out. He held his hand out to Iggy.

Iggy reached out, confused. His fingers grazed Ignis’ gloved hand, and he drew back sharply. Ignis grasped his wrist, dropping two rings into Iggy’s palm.

Iggy stared at them, heart in his throat. He swallowed. “I really hope you’re not asking me to marry you. That would be…well, strange and awkward and the strangest form of…incest? I’ve ever heard of and terribly difficult to explain to the others.”

Ignis burst out laughing. “Thank you, I needed that.” He chuckled again. He took a deep breath, turning back towards the city.

“Not long after the long night fell, I had Dino make them for me. I was determined that when Noctis came out of the Crystal, I would ask him to marry me. We’d bring back the dawn, and live in peace on the lakeside. I was a coward. I couldn’t ask him when he first reappeared, too absorbed in the fact that he was back. And then…then he told me the cost of the dawn, and the rings seemed like a cruel joke. My dream of living by the lake seemed like nothing but a fantasy torn away from me.

“I couldn’t tell him. I couldn’t tell him what I’d done, that I’d had them made, and carried them for more than eight years. How could I? Of course he would’ve said yes, and that would’ve been the most cruel thing of all.”

Iggy swallowed, staring at the rings in his palm. They were simple things, really; tarnished silver with blue and green gem chips set into the wide bands.

“I wanted the gems to match our eyes. I have no idea if Dino actually did it,” Ignis said quietly.

“He…he did,” Iggy whispered.

Ignis still didn’t turn to face him. “What was nothing but a dream for me, can be real for you and Noct. I want you to have them, Ignis. I…hope you can find the happiness that has been long denied me.”

Iggy nodded, wiping tears away from his cheeks.

“Thank you,” he whispered hoarsely, slipping the rings into his chest pocket. Ignis gave him that bitterly sad smile again.

“I hear Noct and Gladio. Go to him.”

“Are you going to be okay?” Iggy asked.

Ignis turned back to the city. “I am tired. So very tired. Go.”

Iggy bowed to him, even knowing he couldn’t see it. He slipped through the door, passing Noctis on the way. 

He found he couldn’t look the king in the face, not after what Ignis had told him.

He saw Noct and Gladio coming back in, talking easily. He watched Noct for a moment, the rings burning in his chest pocket. He walked forward and crushed Noct to him in a hug, getting a surprised yelp from the prince.

Gladio patted his shoulder and moved to join Prompto.

Iggy took Noct’s hand and led him to one of the bedrooms. He wouldn’t mention the rings. Not yet. After Altissia, when they were all back in Lucis, then he would pull Noct aside and ask.

He shut the door behind them, pulling Noctis to the bed.

FFXV

Noctis watched as Gladio and Noct left the hotel, hoping they could work out their issues at least a little. He turned, eyes following Iggy as the man walked around the room like a caged coerul. 

Iggy stepped onto the balcony.

Prompto looked around the room, then started scanning his pictures from the day.

Ignis stood up a moment later, making his way to the balcony. Noctis watched him join his younger counterpart. 

He sighed, turning to Prompto.

“Take any good ones?”

“A few. You wanna see?” Prompto asked hopefully.

“Of course,” Noctis said, moving closer to Prompto to look at them. There was one of Cor and Weskham embracing, and Cid and Cor leaning against the bar, Ignis with a spot of gelato on his chin.

“Can I get a copy of that one?” Noctis asked quietly.

“Sure thing,” Prompto said, marking it for later.

Noctis sat back, scrubbing at his face. “Let me text Cor. I need him to grab something out of the Regalia for tomorrow.”

He quickly texted Cor, and Cor responded immediately.

“Cor will meet us here tomorrow morning, before we go to breakfast.”

“Cool. I bet him and Cid and Weskham are living it up right now,” Prompto said with a grin.

Noctis laughed quietly. “I’m sure. It’s been years since they’ve seen each other. I’m glad we were able to give them that.”

Prompto nodded. 

They both looked up as the sound of Ignis’ laughter drifted from the balcony. Noctis smiled sadly. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d heard Ignis laugh like that.

His smile slipped from his face. He didn’t like to think of Ignis being alone. He knew the man. Ignis would build a wall around his heart, put on a strong front, but inside he’d be dying.

It was the way Noctis felt right at that moment.

He was torn from his thoughts as Noct and Gladio walked in. Iggy walked in from the balcony a moment later, face set like he’d been fighting tears. Noctis stood and walked out to the balcony, closing the door behind him.

He leaned against the wall, staring at Ignis. He looked beautiful, standing there with the city lit up behind him.

“Everything good?” Noctis asked.

Ignis turned his head as if he were looking at Noctis. “No. Not really.”

Noctis leaned against the rail next to him, their shoulders touching.

“I know,” Noctis said hoarsely.

He took Ignis’ hand, squeezing it tightly.

“I’m so sorry, Ignis,” Noctis whispered.

Ignis was silent for a moment. “So am I, my king, so am I.”

FFXV

Cor Leonis woke them early the next morning, a large box under one arm. Noctis looked up, taking it from.

“It was right where you said it would be.”

“Thank you,” Noctis said, setting the box on the table. “Where’s Cid?”

“With the boat. He’s checking it over to make sure everything’s perfect in case we have to make a quick getaway.”

“And Weskham?”

“Quietly starting evacuations. He’s a respected citizen. People are, for the most part, listening to him.”

“Good,” Noctis said.

Noctis took a breath. “Okay. Noct, wear the suit. You want to impress her. Everyone else, wear your cleanest guard attire.”

“Gotcha,” Prompto said.

Noct groaned. He hated the suit. Iggy stood up and started helping Noct lay out the parts of the suit. 

“What are you and Ignis wearing?” Gladio asked. “I don’t think Cor’s old clothes are really appropriate, do you?”

Noctis patted the box. He opened it, pulling out a Kingsglaive jacket. Everyone fell silent, staring at it.

“Ignis, your glaive uniform.”

Ignis took it from him, bowing shortly. He took the rest of the uniform and moved slowly to their room to change.

Noctis took a deep breath and reached into the box. He lifted the mantle of the king from it, not looking Noct in the eye. He set the rest of the royal outfit aside, running his hand through his beard.

“Should I shave?” he muttered.

“No,” Cor said immediately, “your resemblance to Regis will shock Camelia. I won’t say they were friends, but they knew each other. Use it to your advantage.”

Noctis nodded. “Right. Time to change.”

He gathered all the kingly raiment and followed Ignis. Iggy smoothed Noct’s tie silently, helping him into the waistcoat and then the jacket.

“You look wonderful.”

“I hate wearing this thing.”

“I know. You still look wonderful, though.”

A few minutes later, Ignis and Noctis stepped out. Cor stared. Noctis wore the mantle well. He bowed.

“Majesty,” he whispered.

Feeling a little unsure, Gladio did the same, followed moments later by Prompto. Noct and Iggy just looked at the ground.

Ignis looked good in the glaive uniform. Gladio remembered the time when he had dreamed about wearing that uniform. Now, he wasn’t sure if it was ever going to happen.

“Well, are we ready?” Noctis asked.

“One last thing,” Ignis said quietly. He pulled out the half crown of Lucis, presenting it to Noctis. Noctis stared at it, then knelt. Ignis handed the crown carefully to Cor. “I cannot see to do it.”

Cor took the crown. He wondered where Ignis had gotten it. He stepped before Noctis, head bowed before him.

He weaved the crown into his hair, the eyes of everyone on them. 

“I present his royal majesty, Noctis Lucis Caelum CXIV, king of Lucis, king of Light,” Cor said, stepping back and kneeling as Noctis rose to his feet.

Gladio knelt, fisting his hand over his chest. Prompto looked between Noctis and Noct, confused, but he bowed to the king. Ignis fisted his hand over his heart, wishing for all the world that he could see this moment.

Noct and Iggy looked at the ground, confused. Finally, Noct took a deep breath and bowed his head slightly, eyes locked on Noctis.

They stared at each other, king and prince, the same man yet undefinably different.

“Let’s go,” Noctis said, pulling a cloak over his mantle to hide it from the populace.

They walked out the door.

FFXV

Camelia Claustra sat at her desk as Noct walked in, looking very kingly in his royal raiment. They shook hands, and she sat down, feeling every one of her years.

“I’m afraid you’re too late, your majesty,” she said stiffly.

“Wha..what do you mean?” Noct asked. Shit. She was supposed to negotiate with him. He glanced at Iggy in panic.

The door opened and Noctis stepped in, eyes hard. Noct stepped aside, thankful that he was no longer in the crosshairs of the first secretary. 

Camelia’s eyes widened in shock. The man before her was the very image of a younger Regis. 

“What do you mean?” the man asked.

“Who are you?” she asked.

“The king,” Noctis snapped. “What did you mean by saying we’re too late?”

Camelia stared at him, wondering what was going on. The man before her was clearly a king. She didn’t understand but…they didn’t have time for this.

“I’m afraid the summoning is about to begin,” she said.

“What?!” Noctis asked, slamming his fist on the table. “What about her speech?”

“She’s not making it,” Camelia said stiffly. 

“Why ever not?” Ignis asked from behind Noctis.

Camelia’s eyes flicked to the blind man, then back to Noctis.

“Chancellor Izunia picked her up not thirty minutes ago. They’re on their way to start the rite.”

The ground shook, and a roar echoed around Altissia.

Noctis looked up in horror.

They were too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Going to beg a little again. _Please_ let me know what you think of this chapter. This one and the next are quite important, and I'd really love the feedback on them.


	10. Chapter Ten

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan falls to pieces.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fair warning. Y'all might want some tissues for this chapter. I cried while I wrote it. For the purposes of this story, Ignis has the full abilities of the Kingsglaive, which includes warping. I could go into a detailed explanation as to why, but just roll with it. Please.
> 
> Thanks to Evanae who noticed those name screw ups in the last chapter. It gets confusing for my fingers sometimes XD
> 
> There are a few moments where Ignis addresses Iggy as Ignis (wow that was a weird sentence to write), but I think it's pretty clear.
> 
> Not beta-ed.

Lady Lunafreya Nox Fleuret, princess of Tenebrae, Oracle, stared out over Altissia from the window of her room. No, it was her prison. She knew that. First Secretary Camelia Claustra may have said she was being kept here for her safety, but she knew the truth.

She was being held until Claustra could decide who she was worth more to; the empire, or Noctis.

It was truly a beautiful city. Not as beautiful as her native Tenebrae, but lovely in its own right. She wished she’d had time to walk the winding alleys, explore it to her heart’s content.

But that was not her lot in life. She had to press ever onward, guide that beautiful boy Noctis to his death so he could save the world.

She hurt. Her body was failing her, the covenants ripping her apart. She had tried to get Ravus, dear, beloved Ravus, to take the ring to Noctis, but he had refused, telling her she had to do it.

Ravus was somewhere in the city with Chancellor Izunia. She wasn’t sure if the empire was aware that Ravus was working with her, conspiring against them.

She watched as the replacement arm Ravus wore slowly changed him. She had managed to give him more time, but she knew if he didn’t get rid of the arm he would die, devoured by the scourge and turned into something truly awful. 

She knew that Noctis and his retainers were in the city. She hoped to get to meet Prompto after all this time, and Gladio, his stalwart shield, and Ignis, the man he loved.

She knew that Noctis loved Ignis. Noctis had told her, through the diary that Umbra carried back and forth between them. She had been delighted for him. Knowing that Noctis had someone who loved him unconditionally before the end soothed her worried soul.

Then, the word had come of the supposed peace treaty, and her marriage to him. She wasn’t going to lie, even to herself; she had been excited about it. She had never imagined the empire would let her marry someone so dear to her.

She knew Noctis loved her as she loved him; a dear friend.

She should’ve known the empire had ulterior motives. She clenched her fists, the death of King Regis flashing before her eyes. She would never forget that. She remembered the horror of it, how Nyx Ulric had distracted Glauca, giving her time to try to get Regis away.

Learning that Regis had known all along, had sent Noctis away to draw the wrath of the empire away from him. Taking the ring from him, leading him from the elevator, hand clasped in his.

The feel of his hand slipping from hers, as she had once pulled her hand from his so many years before. She couldn’t shake the look in his eyes as he built the barrier between them.

_All those years captive because I failed you. Not again. Locked doors will seal your fate no longer._

And yet here she was, behind yet another locked door, remembering the death of a good king, and the death of Nyx Ulric, giving his life so she could flee the city with the Ring of the Lucii.

Lunafreya took a shuddering breath, dashing away tears. She couldn’t dwell on the death of Regis and Nyx. She had to admit that having Nyx with her would’ve made the trip to Altissia so much easier, although she had known almost from the moment Regis had asked it of him that she would be going on alone.

That was the life of the Oracle.

The door opened, and she turned, expecting to see Camelia Claustra.

“Lovely Lunafreya,” Ardyn Izunia said, sweeping his hat off in a low, mocking bow. “How delightful to see you, my dear.”

“Chancellor Izunia,” she said stiffly.

Ardyn shut the door behind him.

“Have you felt it?” he hissed. She stared at him in confusion. 

“You don’t seem well, Chancellor, perhaps you should rest.”

Ardyn threw his head back and laughed. She watched him, eyes darting to the trident of her office leaning against the chair. He seemed paler than before, and she could practically taste the Starscourge in the air around him.

It made her want to vomit.

“Have you felt it? Have your precious gods told you what is going on? What has changed?”

“I have spoken to no one besides First Secretary Claustra since arriving here, Chancellor, but I’m sure you knew that.”

Ardyn stalked forward, half crushing his hat in one hand. “Something has changed. All my carefully laid out plans. Something is different. I don’t know what it is yet, but we’re moving up the rite.”

She took a step back, her hip hitting the windowsill behind her. “I must give my speech, first.”

“Oh, you didn’t actually think that we’d let you address the citizens, did you?”

She stared at him, hand clenched in front of her chest. “They are expecting it.”

“I don’t give a damn about the idiot people of this city!” Ardyn snarled. He took a breath, calming himself. He stepped right up to her, pressing her back against the window. “Where is it?”

“Where is what?” she asked, slipping out from under his arm. He made her skin crawl.

“The ring, you foolish girl. I know dear Noct is in the city, and you’re just waiting to seal the covenant with the Hydrean and give your precious chosen king the ring. Show it to me,”

She stood next to the chair, heart pounding. He walked forward.

“We can do this the easy way, or I can force you to show it to me. You won’t enjoy the second option, Lady Lunafreya.”

Lunafreya closed her eyes and pulled the small pouch she carried the Ring of the Lucii in out. With trembling fingers, she undid the tie and dumped the ring into her palm, holding it out for Ardyn to see.

They both stared in shocked silence.

The ring was black, burned and flaking, disintegrating before their very eyes.

Ardyn shook with barely concealed rage. Something had changed. The ring was gods given; nothing should be able to destroy it except for the end, the end of Noctis and of him.

With a snarl, he knocked the charred remains of the ring from Lunafreya’s hand. She seemed just as shocked as him.

Lunafreya was horrified. How could she get the ring to Noctis if it was nothing but a melted chunk of metal? How could the chosen king fulfill his destiny without the ring?

He grabbed her by the wrist and snagged her trident as he strode to the door. He kicked it open, Magitek troopers snapping to attention in the hallway. 

First Secretary Claustra stood there, staring at him with wide eyes.

“I’m afraid the time for negotiations is past, Camelia. You don’t mind if I call you that, right? Good. The Lady Lunafreya and I are headed to the altar to summon the Hydrean. Let your precious king know, will you?”

Lunafreya shared one last frightened look with Claustra before Ardyn dragged her away, muttering curses under his breath.

Lunafreya looked back at her room, her prison, and wondered what had caused the ring to crumble.

FFXV

People were panicking. They hadn’t expected the Hydrean to rise until after a speech from the Oracle, and now Leviathan was awake and raging. They ran every which way, slamming into each other, knocking people into the water.

Noctis tried to shoulder his way through them. Ignis hung on to the back of Cor’s jacket so he didn’t get separated from them.

“I’ll clear a path,” Gladio shouted, shoving people bodily out of the way. “Which way?”

“We need to get to the altar!” Noctis yelled back. He grunted as he was pushed into Iggy. Iggy pushed him closer to Gladio. 

Noctis cursed silently. Why couldn’t Camelia have called them the moment Ardyn had taken Lunafreya away? They had lost valuable time.

He was going to fail again. He was going to fail to save Luna. He was going to have to watch her die all over again.

The further they ran, the less people were around them. There was the spot Lunafreya was supposed to give her speech from, the last place he had seen Ignis scar free, the last place the four of them had really felt cohesive.

He could feel the Mark of the Hydrean burning his skin. Leviathan was awake, and as before, she was not happy about it.

“Down!” Cor yelled, throwing Ignis down and crouching next to him as an imperial airship flew overhead. Everyone knelt around them, watching the ships head steadily for Leviathan.

“What do we do?” Prompto asked, hand fisted in Gladio’s shirt.

“Noctis, you already have Leviathan’s favor,” Ignis said. “You should be able to send her away.”

“C’mon,” Cor said, “stay low. Let’s move to where we can see the altar.”

They inched closer. Noctis thought about what Ignis had said. Would he be able to simply show the evidence of the Hydrean’s covenant and send her away?

It seemed to take ages to reach the balcony overlooking the long path to the stone altar. The younger men stared in horrified awe as Leviathan twisted and raged in front of the altar.

“Look,” Noct whispered, pointing down to the altar.

Ardyn and Lunafreya stood before Leviathan. Luna held her trident, and even from the distance they were at they could see how exhausted she looked.

Noctis swallowed. She was still alive. 

He cursed. He didn’t see how he could save her and subdue Leviathan at the same time.

Ignis sat there, shoulder pressed against Cor’s. 

“Marshal, what do you see?” he whispered.

“The Oracle and Chancellor are at the end of the altar, standing before Leviathan. The Hydrean looks pissed. Izunia looks angry, and he keeps looking around like he’s waiting for something. Lunafreya looks like she's in pain. The empire has Leviathan surrounded by airships.”

Ignis hummed. “How far away is the end of the altar?”

“Hundred feet, at most,” Cor whispered. He looked at Ignis. The blind man’s brow was drawn tight, and he worried at the scar on his lower lip.

“How do we get down there without getting blown to bits by the airships?” Gladio asked, glancing back at the others.

Noctis was pale, and looked like he was going to be sick. Noct and Iggy peeked over the edge of the balcony, looking at Leviathan and the altar. Prompto was pressed against his side, running his fingers over his knee. Cor and Ignis were shoulder to shoulder, the older Ignis’ head tilted towards Cor.

“I need to get to the top of this building, so Leviathan can see me. She won’t give in easily,” Noctis muttered. He remembered the fight with her before, and how much destruction they had wreaked over the city. He remembered how tired he was, and how it had been the first time he had truly been filled with the power of kings.

He clenched his fist, feeling the Ring of the Lucii on his finger.

“Damn it,” he cursed.

“What?” Noct asked at his side.

“I can’t figure out how to get Luna out of there and get Leviathan to calm down,” Noctis said over Leviathan’s roars. Ignis flinched at the sound, memories flooding his mind. His hands shook.

Ignis thought about what Cor had said. One hundred feet, the very end of his range.

Noctis snarled as Ardyn grabbed Lunafreya and shook her, yelling in her face. Her trident hit the altar. Leviathan screamed her rage against the puny mortals. 

There had to be a way to get Luna out. Luna deserved to live. She had given up so much for him. Noctis was tired of people sacrificing themselves for him, one after the other.

What was more important? Luna’s life, or the countless people in the city?

How could he choose?

Ignis swallowed. He felt the heat of Cor’s body, and the others, pressed around him. Friends, his lover. Cor, who had been there for him when he was at his lowest point. Noctis, the man he loved above all others. Gladio, Prompto.

Noct. The version of his king he could mostly remember. The one who’s face came to mind whenever he tried to remember. 

And Iggy. Himself, years younger. Not as jaded, not as dark, struggling to figure out how to deal with everything going on. He remembered giving him those rings the night before. 

He hoped Iggy and Noct could find their happiness.

Ignis sighed, head falling forward slightly onto Cor’s shoulder. A plan formed in his mind, and it broke his heart.

“I believe I can distract Ardyn long enough for Noct to warp in after me and get Lady Lunafreya away.”

The world fell away from under Noctis feet. He stared at Ignis in horror.

_“Ignis!”_

Noctis moved closer, Cor backing off.

“You can’t,” Noctis said desperately. “Ignis, no.”

No one else said a word. They didn’t quite understand what was going on.

Ignis pulled his gloves off, tucking them carefully into his pocket. He lifted his hands and caressed Noctis’ cheeks, feeling every plane and groove and hair that he’d become so acquainted with since the king had returned.

He felt the tears on Noctis’ cheeks and smiled.

“Noctis, your majesty, it is the only way.”

“No, Ignis, no! There has to be another way!”

Ignis pressed his finger against Noctis’ lip.

“Noctis, my love, my king, since we realized we were brought back, I have wondered why I was here.”

“Ignis—”

“Shhh. We both know that _I_ am not needed to bring back the dawn. I know why you were brought here. I just didn’t understand why I was here.”

“Because I need you!”

“No. You are the strongest person I’ve ever known. You are the greatest king. I…I have always wondered if I would be strong enough to carry on after you were gone. I can help save Lunafreya. Noctis, you must see that it’s the only way.”

The others stared at them, barely breathing. Noct clung to Iggy’s hand. Ignis couldn’t mean what he thought he meant.

“Ignis…”

“We’re out of time, Noctis. Get to the roof. Subdue Leviathan. Send her to drive the airships from the sky.”

“ _Ignis_ ,” Noctis whispered, covering his hands with his. “It’s not fair. You were supposed to feel the dawn again.”

Ignis smiled. “And I did. I got to experience that sunrise with you, Noctis, which was far more than I ever thought I’d get. I got my sunrise.

“Go. We’ll get Lunafreya out.” Ignis kissed Noctis on the head, and Noctis bit back a scream.

He crushed his lips to Ignis’. “I love you.”

Ignis pulled back first. “And I you, my king. Now go.”

Noctis didn’t want to look away from him. His eyes burned with tears. His skin burned where Ignis’ bare fingers touched him.

“Go,” Ignis whispered, dropping his hands.

Noctis stared at him. All the feelings he’d had in Zegnautus, when he’d left them to go for the Crystal, reared up in him again. He remembered the crushing sound of the hangar door shutting behind him, silencing the cries of the daemon’s and his friends.

He felt like the world was trying to swallow him like the Crystal had.

He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t leave Ignis. He could go down and get Luna. Ardyn wouldn’t kill him, right?

“Go,” Ignis said again.

With a cry, Noctis spun away and started running. 

Ignis drew a shaky breath.

“I don’t understand,” Prompto whispered. “How will you get down there without him seeing you?”

Ignis swallowed. “I am a member of the Kingsglaive. I can warp.”

“What? Jealous,” Prompto whispered. Cor smacked him. “Ouch!”

Ignis turned his head. “I do not do it often. Warping blind is not a smart thing. Cor and I discovered it during the ten years. He was my eyes.”

Ignis lifted his head, sightless eye staring through Cor. “I will need you to be my eyes again.”

“Yes,” Cor whispered.

“But…” Prompto whispered.

“Noct, wait for a count of three and warp in behind me. Grab the lady Lunafreya and warp back here and then all of you, run. Get back to Noctis.”

“What about you?” Prompto whispered.

Ignis smiled bitterly. “I’m afraid it’s a one way trip for me.”

Noct covered his mouth, staring in shock.

Ignis turned his head.

“Iggy, may I speak to you?”

Iggy swallowed, inching closer. Ignis reached out, his bare fingers tracing Iggy’s perfect face. Iggy went still, allowing his older self to touch him.

Ignis felt the unscarred skin and felt sadness and regret fill him.

“I would ask something of you, Ignis,” the older man whispered.

Iggy swallowed. Even after just three nights it was strange to hear his given name, especially from this man’s lips.

“Yes?”

“When Noctis…when Noctis goes to face Ardyn for that final time…will you…will you…”

Iggy swallowed. Time seemed to stand still as he stared at Ignis’ face, so close to his. It was so similar, yet so different.

“Kiss him for me,” Ignis whispered.

Iggy’s eyes widened.

“Please…don’t let him go off to face that without…without a kiss from you, from Ignis…”

Iggy closed his eyes. “Yes. Of course.”

Ignis relaxed, his forehead pressing against Iggy’s. “Thank you,” he whispered.

Iggy swallowed hard. 

“Cherish him,” Ignis whispered, forehead still against his younger self’s. “Cherish him, Ignis.”

“Always,” Iggy whispered, eyes burning. Ignis pulled back, pressing his lips gently against Iggy’s forehead.

He took a deep breath, turning towards Noct. “Don’t forget, three seconds.”

Noct sniffed. “Yeah, I got it,” he said, voice rough.

Ignis turned to Cor. “I need your eyes.”

“Tell me what to do,” Cor said quietly.

Ignis stood. Cor joined him. “Stand right behind me, the lines of our bodies touching.”

Ignis summoned his dagger, hefting the familiar weight in his hand. “Put your hand around mine,” Ignis said. Cor did, his large hand familiar on Ignis’.

Noct stood at their side, engine blade in hand. Gladio, Prompto, and Iggy stood back. Gladio put his hand on Iggy’s shoulder. 

“You must guide me to throw the blade,” Ignis said, trying to keep his voice steady.

“Where should I aim?” Cor whispered, looking down at Ardyn and Lunafreya. He watched as Lunafreya twisted away from Ardyn. She took Ardyn’s wrist in her hands, and he could see the light from the Oracle from here. His stomach clenched when he saw a dagger appear in Ardyn’s hand.

“Straight for Ardyn. I must get between him and Lunafreya.”

Ardyn moved closer to Lunafreya. Cor’s hand tightened around Ignis’, lifting their joined hands.

“Godspeed, Ignis,” Cor whispered in his ear.

They threw the dagger.

Ignis disappeared in a shower of blue light.

FFXV

Lunafreya stared at Ardyn. The Hydrean hovered before them, screaming her rage at the puny mortals before her. She wanted to devour them.

Ardyn looked around. He watched as the imperial airships took position, harpooning the Hydrean and feeding her rage.

Where was he?

Where the fuck was Noctis?

He spun to face Lunafreya. “Where is he? _Where is your precious king_?”

Lunafreya lifted her head. “I do not know. Maybe he isn’t in Altissia yet.”

Ardyn grabbed her by the shoulders. “He’s here. We saw him arrive, with his little friends and others.”

Lunafreya tilted her head. Others? What others had Noctis come with?

“Maybe he has abandoned you,” Ardyn said slowly, looking her up and down, smirking. “I spent the night with them in a caravan, you know, and I watched as your precious betrothed snuck away behind the gas station with his advisor. Oh, the sounds they made. The way Noctis cried out his name there in the dark. A shame, really. The poor bride, pushed aside for another man.”

Lunafreya looked at him, arching her eyebrow. “You think I am unaware of the relationship between Noctis and his advisor? I am happy for Noctis.”

Ardyn snarled, grabbing her shoulders. She twisted away.

“Why isn’t he here?” Ardyn said again.

“I do not know,” Lunafreya said.

“No matter. He still has to come for the Crystal, although without the ring…”

She reached out a hand, touching Ardyn’s skin. White light poured from her hand, engulfing his. He stared at her small hands around his wrist. He felt the heat of her healing Light flood him.

“When the prophecy is fulfilled, all in thrall to darkness shall know peace,” she whispered.

He wrenched his hand away, calling a dagger to his hand.

“You first,” he whispered.

Ardyn slammed the dagger forward. He was tired of playing this game. If Noctis wouldn’t come for the Hydrean, he’d come for the body of his bride to be. 

The dagger sank into the stomach of a man who hadn’t been there moments earlier.

Lunafreya stumbled back in shock, staring up at the back of a Kingsglaive jacket. She could see the tip of Ardyn’s dagger protruding from the man’s back, the black jacket slowly staining darker with blood.

Her mind flashed back to another Kingsglaive who had given his life for her.

She felt an arm around her waist, and then she felt a crushing blackness around her. She couldn’t cry out, she couldn’t breathe, and then it was over, and she found herself looking into Noct’s face.

FFXV

Not much surprised Ardyn after two thousand years. He’d seen the same thing played out over and over again, and he was the author of so many dramas. He could make mortals dance to whatever tune he wanted, and they never knew it was him.

It worked so well for the empire. Fools, to believe that the Crystal would work for them.

Not much surprised Ardyn, but a dagger materializing at his feet and a man appearing between him and Lunafreya shocked him.

The dagger buried itself in Ignis Scientia’s stomach.

Ardyn stared at the man before him, dagger embedded to the hilt in the man’s stomach. He’d felt the blade scrape bone.

He recognized the man. It was Noctis’ advisor, but very different than the last time Ardyn had seen him.

He tilted his head, listening to the pained gasps of the man before him. What had happened to him?

“Well, isn’t this a nice surprise,” Ardyn said conversationally.

Ignis coughed, blood spattering across Ardyn’s face.

“I must say, the scars are a good look. And a pompadour? How quaint.”

Ignis’ head fell forward, dropping onto Ardyn’s shoulder. Gods, it hurt. He coughed again, tasting blood in his mouth. 

How he hated this man.

“Where is dear Noctis?” Ardyn asked.

Ignis swallowed. He could hear his blood rush through his head, feel it leaving his body. He felt cold and hot at the same time.

Ardyn grabbed Ignis by the hair.

“Where is he?” Ardyn snarled.

Ignis coughed wetly.

“Fuck you, Chancellor,” Ignis whispered.

Ardyn snarled, placing a boot on Ignis stomach and shoving him off the dagger.

Ignis cried out, body crumbling to the wet stones of the altar. He felt rain on his face, and he remembered being held down by metal hands and the sound of his glasses breaking under Ardyn’s heel.

Ardyn looked around. Lunafreya was gone. He cursed, spinning back to Ignis. He kicked the man, reveling in his strangled scream.

“You have ruined everything,” Ardyn said, kneeling on Ignis’ chest.

Ignis tried to cough again, but blood was filling his lungs, his throat. He could feel Ardyn on his chest, he could hear him talking, but he couldn’t make out words.

He was so cold.

The rain fell on his face, running over the scar in rivulets. 

Ardyn looked down at the dying man. How utterly fascinating this turn of events was.

He felt a familiar power, the power of kings, and his head snapped up. Impossible.

He saw a group of people standing on a balcony, but his eyes were drawn higher, to the roof.

He snarled.

_Impossible!_

Ignis smiled, blood on his lips.

“Noctis,” he whispered.

Ignis Scientia took his last breath in the city he hated, his final thoughts of the man he loved.

FFXV

Noctis stood on the roof, staring at Leviathan.

He didn’t look down. He couldn’t. He couldn’t see what Ignis was about to do. 

Leviathan looked at him out of one reptilian eye.

“Leviathan!” he screamed, raising his hand. He felt the Mark of Hydrean burn. “I have your covenant! You have sworn allegiance to me, Noctis Lucis Caelum, Chosen King!”

Leviathan lowered her head, staring at him. Yes, that was her mark of favor. 

_“You are mortal still, and I will not submit,”_ Leviathan said in the harsh language of gods.

“You will,” Noctis said, eyes glowing.

FFXV

Ardyn looked up at the man on the roof. It couldn’t be. How could Noctis already have the full power of kings and the Crystal?

He heard Leviathan talk, and his eyes widened as he watched the man.

Shiva appeared next to him, then Ramuh, Titan shimmering in a smaller form, and even…

Ardyn stared at Bahamut, two thousand years of hatred boiling through him.

Leviathan stared at the mortal man surrounded by the other Astrals.

Noctis didn’t look at the gods surrounding him. He focused all his attention on Leviathan.

“I have shown myself worthy once before,” Noctis said, “do not make me break you again.”

Shiva shifted next to him, looking at her Astral sister. She tilted her head, and Leviathan submitted.

The other gods vanished as if they’d never been there. Noctis pointed at the airships.

“Get them out of this city.”

Leviathan twisted through the air, huge jets of water aiming straight for the multiple airships.

Noctis watched for a moment as Leviathan sentenced the ships to the deep.

He took a shuddering breath and look down. 

Ardyn looked up at him, clearly livid.

Noctis’ eyes were drawn to the still body of Ignis. He’d felt it, the moment Ignis had died. 

He summoned his dagger and screamed.

He threw it, disappearing and reappearing before Ardyn, slamming the dagger into his gut.

Ardyn stumbled back at the force of the blow.

Noctis stared at him, eyes hard.

Ardyn stared back, taking in the king before him.

“I know that won’t kill you, you slimy bag of daemon guts. I just want you to listen,” Noctis snarled, his voice rough.

Ardyn pulled the dagger out of his stomach, dropping it on Ignis’ body.

“My, a king, at long last. You’re older.”

“That’s what happens when one isn’t a walking skin suit for daemons,” Noctis said, voice low. “We age.”

“You die. Like him.” Ardyn pointed to Ignis. Noctis didn’t look down.

“Bring the Crystal to Insomnia in one month’s time,” Noctis said.

“But the Crystal is in Gralea. You should come get it. Plus, it is rather useless without the Ring of the Lucii.”

Noctis held up his hand, the ring glinting in the muted light. Ardyn stared at the perfect ring.

“How did you get that?”

“Luna left it for me, before you killed her.”

“I was about to, but I killed him instead,” Ardyn said, gesturing to Ignis’ body.

Ardyn smiled at the pain that flashed through Noctis’ face.

“Now, about that Crystal,” Ardyn said.

“No. We’re not going to dance to your tune anymore, jester. I know you want this over as much as I do, Ardyn Lucis Caelum.”

Ardyn was surprised for the second time in less than ten minutes.

“We’re not going to Gralea. We’re not going to Zegnautus. I’ve done my time in the Crystal. I’ve gained the power of kings. We both know how this has to end, but this time you do what _I_ say.” He was trying so hard not to look at that body at his feet.

“Bring the Crystal to Insomnia, to the throne room.”

“And if I say no?”

“Then I try to kill you here and now, wait for your body to reconstitute, and do it all over again. We’re not going to Gralea.”

“The emperor will be very displeased.”

“I don’t care what the emperor thinks. We both know you manipulated this entire thing from the beginning. Hell, you probably orchestrated the entire war.”

“Why, thank you!” Ardyn says, sweeping into a bow.

He stood up, watching Leviathan destroy his airships, send his troopers to the sea. He sighed dramatically, looking back at Noctis. Leviathan dove back into the sea the moment the last airship fell.

“You interest me more than ever, my dear Noct. I must look into how you appear before me, a king at last, with all the power you need. For now…for now I will head to Gralea and procure myself a Crystal.”

He stepped back to his waiting airship. He bowed to Noctis mockingly.

He touched his forehead in a salute. 

“See you soon, Noct.”

The airship hatch closed, and Noctis watched in silence as the ship lifted away.

He stood there, looking up at the sky. He couldn’t look down. He couldn’t.

He had to.

He looked down, and didn’t try to suppress the sob that escaped him.

Ignis lay pale and broken and dead at his feet. His scar stood out more than ever against his blood drained skin, the rain diluted the blood pooling around him. His right eye stared straight into the sky, locked on something Noctis couldn’t see.

Noctis’ knees buckled. He heard screaming, and realized from a distance that it was him, and he was screaming Ignis’ name.

He gathered Ignis’ body into his arms, sobbing into his rapidly cooling skin.

He thought he heard footsteps, and he knew the others were running to join him.

He didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered.

Ignis was dead.

Noctis folded over Ignis’ body, pressing his lips desperately against Ignis’. 

There was nothing there. No breath of life, no warmth.

Ignis was dead.

Noctis sobbed, rocking back and forth with Ignis held in his arms.

He felt the shadows of the others fall over him, but he didn’t look up. He couldn’t. He couldn’t bear to see the pity in their eyes.

He pressed urgent kisses against Ignis’ forehead, tears and rain falling onto Ignis’ face.

Ignis was dead.

Ignis was dead, and Noctis had felt a crushing hopelessness swallow him.

Ignis was dead.

And Noctis wasn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, um. Please tell me what you think. This chapter means a lot to me, and I hope I managed to do it justice. I really want to hear your thoughts on it, even if you just say 'omg how could you you evil bitch.' It's all good. still means a lot.
> 
> So, still begging. Please tell me your thoughts.


	11. Chapter Eleven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The immediate aftermath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was supposed to be Ignis' send off, but it got too long and I want to give Ignis the honor he deserves. There's a little bit of talk about what bodies do after death. I almost found this chapter harder to write than writing Ignis' actual death.
> 
> More tissues might be needed.
> 
> Please let me know what you think. These few chapters are really important, not just to the story but to me.

The moment Iggy understood what his older self meant to do he stopped breathing.

Ignis asked him to kiss Noctis before the king went to face Ardyn the final time, and then he went to die.

Gladio kept his hand on Iggy’s shoulder, holding him back as Ignis, Cor, and Noct stood at the edge of the balcony.

He watched as Ignis warped away with Cor’s help. 

He wrenched free of Gladio and rushed to the edge, half hanging over to watch.

He swore he almost felt the knife sink into his stomach. He cried out softly, and he felt Cor’s hand on his back.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Noct waited for a count of three after Ignis disappeared in that familiar shower of blue light, then warped after him.

He tried to ignore the sound of Ignis’ pained breathing as he landed behind him, Ignis’ body shielding him and Luna from Ardyn’s sight. He wrapped an arm around Luna’s waist, holding her tightly against him, and threw his blade back at the balcony.

They landed, and Prompto and Gladio were next to them immediately.

Lunafreya stared at Noct in shock.

“Noctis?” she choked out. She shook; warping felt awful.

Noct had tears running down his face, and he stood up and leaned over the edge, clinging to Iggy’s arm.

“We have to go,” Prompto whispered, patting Lunafreya’s back.

“No,” Iggy said quietly.

“Iggy, he told us to run,” Gladio said.

“No, I have to witness this,” Iggy whispered, flinching as Ardyn placed his foot on Ignis’ stomach and pushed him off the blade. 

Cor’s hand tightened on Iggy’s shoulder. Noct covered his mouth.

They heard Noctis’ voice from above them, ordering Leviathan to take down the imperial ships.

Iggy watched as Noctis warped down to Ardyn, driving a dagger into the chancellor’s stomach.

They couldn’t hear what Noctis and Ardyn were saying to each other. Iggy’s eyes were locked on Ignis’ body.

He was dead. 

Iggy was alive.

How strange. The first twenty-two years of their lives had been exactly the same, they had been the same man, and now…Ignis was dead.

Iggy hadn’t talked to him much, and he was suddenly filled with regret. How much could he have learned from his older self? What had Ignis learned in the ten years?

He let out a soft cry.

Ardyn boarded his airship and it lifted away.

Noctis hit his knees next to Ignis’ body, pulling him into his arms. He was screaming Ignis’ name.

Lunafreya stood shakily, leaning heavily against Prompto. She didn’t really understand what was going on.

Why hadn’t Noctis come to get the covenant? 

And who was that man holding the Kingsglaive’s body? Why did he look so much like Noctis?

And what had happened to the Ring of the Lucii?

Iggy finally turned away from the sight below them, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. He couldn’t afford to fall apart yet. 

He looked up. Lunafreya was soaked and looked quite bewildered at the turn of events. Iggy shrugged out of his leather jacket and wrapped it carefully around her narrow shoulders.

“Thank you,” she whispered. He nodded. She could see tears in his eyes. They were all crying.

“We need to get down there,” Gladio said.

“This way,” Cor said softly. They followed the marshal into the building and down the stairs to the long path to the altar.

They could see Noctis cradling Ignis’ body. 

The rain cleared up with Leviathan gone.

Noctis kept crying.

FFXV

Noctis clung to Ignis’ rapidly cooling body, face buried in the crook of Ignis’ neck. He was desperate to feel a rush of breath across his face, a steady pulse under his lips, anything to let him know Ignis was alive.

Ignis couldn’t be dead.

He had known the moment Ignis had suggested it that he was going to his death, but he couldn’t process it.

He _refused_ to process it.

The others stood around him, blocking out the sun breaking through the clouds. He couldn’t look at them. Not yet.

With shaking fingers, he pulled down the collar of Ignis’ jacket, unclasping the platinum chain with the skull pendant and taking it from his neck. He carefully put it in his pocket. His hands were shaking too much to put it on himself.

He pulled Ignis back to him, rocking back and forth.

If he let go of Ignis, it would be real. 

The moment he let go of the man in his arms, he’d have to face the fact that he’d never get to wake up beside him again, never feel his fingers map out his face, or his scarred lip on his chapped ones.

He tightened his hold on Ignis.

He couldn’t let go.

FFXV

Lunafreya stood between Prompto and Gladio and stared down at the man holding the dead man in shock.

She had no doubt that the man was Noctis, she just didn’t understand how it was possible that there were two Noctis’. 

And there had been two Ignis’.

She opened her mouth to ask a question, and Prompto squeezed her wrist. She glanced at him, and he shook his head minutely, leaning forward.

“We’ll explain later,” he whispered, voice thick. She nodded, turning back to Noctis.

No one said anything as Noctis rocked back and forth. 

Noct glued himself to Iggy’s side. Iggy held him tightly, unable to tear his eyes away from his older self’s lifeless face.

It was surreal. 

Cor heard the sound of people whispering. He turned. People were starting to rush out onto the altar, trying to see what had happened.

“We can’t stay here,” Cor said.

Noctis whimpered. He couldn’t move. He couldn’t let go of Ignis. If he left this spot, if he let go, it would become real, and Ignis would be dead.

Ignis was dead.

He wailed as the thought hit him anew. Prompto sniffed, trying to hold back his tears. Gladio squeezed his shoulder. Noct whimpered, turning his head and burying his face in Iggy’s chest. 

He couldn’t look at Ignis’ still body.

“I can try to hold these people off for a while, but we need to move,” Cor said gently. Noctis didn’t react. Cor wasn’t sure the king could hear him.

“I can help,” Lunafreya said, moving to stand next to Cor. Cor nodded at her, and they turned and walked back down the long stone path to intercept the gathering crowd. Cor leaned close, and quickly gave her the bare basics of what had happened, of who the dead man was and why the other man held the power of kings.

“I can’t…I can’t…” Noctis whispered, pressing urgent kisses against Ignis’ face.

Prompto thought he’d never seen anything so heartbreaking in his life.

Gladio knelt before them.

“What do you need?” Gladio whispered.

Noctis pressed his forehead against Ignis’. What did he need? He needed _Ignis_.

Gladio couldn’t give him that. No one could give him that.

Ignis was dead.

“My king,” Gladio whispered, “we can’t stay here. People are gathering, and Ignis…Ignis wouldn’t want you to be seen like this.”

Gladio knew it was a low blow. It hurt him to say it.

It hurt to see Ignis lying dead in Noct’s arms. Seeing Ignis dead was a shock to the system.

Even though he knew he could turn around and see Iggy standing there, pale and shell shocked, it was still heart wrenching to see Ignis dead.

Noctis froze at Gladio’s words. It hurt. Gods, it hurt.

Somewhere, deep inside him, he knew Gladio was right. Ignis wouldn’t want him to fall apart like this, especially in front of the people he was supposed to be saving.

_One cannot lead by standing still. A king pushes onward always, accepting the consequences and never looking back._

He could almost hear Ignis’ voice saying those very words to him, in a stinking cavern at the bottom of Cartanica. 

“I can’t carry him,” Noctis whispered. “I’m not strong enough to carry him.”

Gladio gently put his hand on Noctis’ shoulder. “I will carry him. I swear to you, I will carry him with all the love and honor he deserves. He is my brother.” Gladio’s voice cracked, and he swallowed, trying to get himself under control.

Noctis finally lifted his head, looking at Gladio. Gladio’s amber eyes were full of tears, face pale. Noctis’ eyes flicked from person to person.

His eyes met Iggy’s, and both men looked away. Noctis clung to the man in his arms. He couldn’t look at Iggy.

He wasn’t sure he was ever going to be able to look at Iggy again.

Gladio held his arms out to Noctis.

“Let me take him,” Gladio whispered.

Noctis whimpered, pressing one last kiss to Ignis’ forehead, then his cold lips. Slowly, agonizingly, he maneuvered Ignis into Gladio’s waiting arms.

Gladio gathered Ignis close, putting one arm under Ignis’ legs and the other under his shoulders. He slowly stood up, and Ignis’ head fell against his shoulders.

He could almost pretend Ignis was sleeping.

Almost.

He felt his own tears roll down face, slowly falling onto Ignis’ still chest as he stood there.

Noctis sat on the ground, king’s raiment soaked from the rain. He touched one of the dark stains, fingers coming away bloody.

Ignis’ blood.

He closed his eyes. He couldn’t do this. 

Noct glanced at Prompto and jerked his head towards Noctis. Prompto nodded and was there instantly, hand on the king’s shoulder.

“C’mon,” Prompto whispered. “I’ll help you walk.”

Noctis stared at the cobblestones, at the rain diluted blood on the altar.

A sacrificial altar, no matter what he did.

Prompto saw where he was looking and stepped into his line of sight, blocking the blood. Noctis looked up at him.

Prompto had tears on his face, but he never looked away from Noctis. Slowly, he helped the king to his feet, ducking under Noctis’ arm to take his weight.

“Where are we going?” Gladio asked quietly, hefting Ignis’ body closer to him.

“Back to the Leville,” Iggy whispered, trying to pitch his voice low.

Noctis still heard him, and the sound of Iggy’s voice, of _his_ voice, broke something inside him again. 

Prompto squeezed him in a hug.

Gladio walked slowly towards Cor and Lunafreya. Prompto guided Noctis behind him, glancing back at Noct and Iggy.

Iggy stared at the blood stained stone.

Noct took his hand and led him after the others.

Cor glanced back and saw Gladio walking toward the ever growing crowd. He needed to clear a space. He opened his mouth to start barking orders. Lunafreya touched his arm.

“Allow me.”

She stepped forward. “Good people,” she started, pitching her voice to carry. Silence fell, whispers rushing through the crowd as they realized the Oracle was speaking.

“Good people,” she said again. “I was not able to talk to you before I was forced to call the Hydrean. I wish I had. I wish I had been able to warn you. So I stand before now, humbled beyond words at the action of a man who saved my life. It wasn’t for him, I would not be here. If it wasn’t for him, your beautiful city would be in ruins.

“Every day, we have seen the nights grow longer until all shall succumb to darkness. Darkness that evokes terror, hatred, and sorrow in the hearts of men. There was a dream of peace, and the empire shattered it in Lucis. They tried to shatter hope here on this altar, but they couldn’t.

“Because of this man, hope has a chance. Do not surrender to despair. Our world shall be delivered from the perils of the dark.” She looked behind her. Gladio stood there, Ignis’ body in his arms. She could see Prompto supporting Noctis, and the pale faces of Noct and Iggy bringing up the rear.

“Please, let us pass. Let us honor this man. Do not hinder us.”

Slowly, silently, the crowd parted.

Cor and Lunafreya walked ahead. Gladio came slowly behind them, arms burning with the dead weight in his arms, but he wouldn’t let go.

Ignis was his brother, and if he had to, he would carry him all the way to the gates of heaven.

FFXV 

Word spread throughout Altissia, and people stood and watched the royal retinue walk slowly through the city.

People threw blossoms at Gladio’s feet. They knew he carried the man who had saved the Oracle, who had saved the city. The smell of the crushed blossoms permeated the city.

They recognized Noctis, the king of Lucis.

Gladio wasn’t sure how long it took for them to reach the Leville. It seemed like an eternity. Every step his arms burned with Ignis’ weight in his arms, his eyes stung with tears. He never looked down at the man in his arms. He couldn’t. 

He would break down if he did, and he couldn’t do that.

He kept his eyes locked on Lunafreya, walking regally next to Cor, still wearing Iggy’s jacket. 

Cor saw Cid watching them, and he shook his head minutely. The old man’s shoulder’s slumped and he turned away.

They finally reached the Leville.

Cor unlocked the door to the royal suite.

Gladio carried Ignis in. He didn’t want to put him on the bed that he and Noctis had shared the night before.

“Put him in ours,” Noct said quietly. Gladio nodded, following Noct into the suite. He set Ignis on the bed with the utmost care.

He stood there a moment, looking down at Ignis. He leaned over and pressed his lips against Ignis’ head.

“Thank you, Ignis,” he whispered, standing up and walking out of the room.

Noct looked at Ignis, so still, so quiet, so very dead, and he bit his lip.

It was awful, but there was a part of him that was thankful it wasn’t _his_ Ignis lying there. 

He turned and walked away.

FFXV

Noct shut the door to the room holding Ignis’ body quietly, looking around the room.

Noctis leaned heavily against Prompto, tears running unchecked down his face. Prompto kept his arms around the king, taking his weight without complaint. Iggy stood in the corner, trying to stay out of Noctis’ line of sight. Gladio sat on the couch, head in hand. Lunafreya stood next to Cor, looking beautiful and confused.

Noct wasn’t sure what made him do it, but he picked up the plush Carbuncle he had bought the day before and held it out to Noctis. Noctis took it slowly, burying his face in the light blue fur.

“Come with me,” Prompto whispered to Noctis. “We’ll get you cleaned up.”

Prompto led Noctis to the room he and Gladio had shared the night before. Noctis didn’t fight him. He just clung to the Carbuncle plush. Prompto didn’t think the king needed to be in the same room he and Ignis had slept into the night before.

Noctis was silent, pale and drawn, tears still rolling down his cheeks.

Cor followed them into the room. He looked at Noctis, then reached out and brushed his fingers over the king’s face.

He was shocky. 

“Let’s get him out of these wet clothes, Prompto,” Cor said quietly. Prompto nodded, and the two men started to carefully, gently, undress the king. Noctis didn’t fight them. He whined when Prompto took the Carbuncle plush from him so they could remove the mantle, jacket, and shirt.

Ignis’ necklace fell out of the pocket of the jacket, and Noctis wailed at the sight. Prompto knelt, picking it and smoothing the chain. He stood behind Noctis and put it the necklace around his neck.

Noctis fingered the skull pendant, hanging tightly to it.

Some of Ignis’ blood had soaked through to Noctis’ skin, staining his pale stomach pink. Cor and Prompto glanced at each other, and Prompto went to turn on the shower.

Cor knelt before Noctis, gently pulling his boots off and then his pants.

Noctis stood before him, naked and silent and crying. Cor gently led him to the bathroom, where Prompto was checking the temperature of the water. Prompto turned, eyes briefly raking over Noctis’ naked body.

He helped Noctis into the shower, and went to step back. Noctis grabbed his wrist, eyes wide.

“Okay,” Prompto said, “I’ll stay.”

Cor nodded at Prompto, reaching around him to wet a washcloth and gently scrub at the king’s skin. Noctis didn’t fight them. He didn’t move. 

Cor wasn’t sure Noctis was capable of anything at the moment. He knew that keeping busy was the only thing letting him not dwell on Ignis’ death. Prompto talked softly to Noctis about nothing, his soft voice giving Noctis something to cling to.

When Noctis was clean, Cor and Prompto helped him from the shower, drying him. Prompto went and grabbed a pair of sweatpants and a shirt, and the two men dressed the king again.

They led him back to the room.

“You need to sleep,” Cor said.

Noctis stared at him in horror. He couldn’t sleep! Ignis was dead, how could he sleep?

Oh, gods. Ignis was dead.

Noctis bit back a sob. Prompto sat him on the edge of the bed, handing him the Carbuncle plush again. Noctis hugged it to his chest.

Cor went the minibar and pulled out a small bottle of whiskey. He poured some in a glass, then dug through his first aid kit and pulled out sleeping pills.

“Take these,” Cor said. They would knock the king out for hours.

Noctis shook his head. Cor knelt.

“Your majesty, Noctis, you need to sleep. I wish I could tell you it would be better when you woke, but I can’t. Let us help you, now. Please.” Cor held the pills out to him again.

With a trembling hand, Noctis took the pills and put them in his mouth. Cor handed him the whiskey and Noctis downed it, shuddering as it burned down his throat.

Prompto helped Noctis to lie on the bed. He went to stand up and Noctis grabbed at him.

“Please,” Noctis croaked, “I don’t…I don’t want to be…”

Prompto sat down on the bed next to him. “I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

Noctis moved closer to Prompto, burying his head against the younger man’s thigh. Prompto slowly ran his fingers through Noctis’ hair, blinking back tears.

Cor watched them for a moment. He could see that Prompto was fighting to stay strong for the king. Cor leaned forward, pressing his lips against Prompto’s forehead.

“Thank you, Prompto. You’re doing so good.”

Prompto sniffed, nodding.

“I’ll stay with him until he wakes up. He shouldn’t be alone,” Prompto said quietly. Cor nodded, squeezing Prompto’s shoulder. 

Cor picked up the king’s clothing, nodded to Prompto once more, and walked out the door.

FFXV

Noct watched Prompto and Cor lead Noctis to the room. Iggy slowly moved forward, and Noct ducked under his arm, clinging to his side.

“Now what?” Gladio asked, staring at his hands.

Lunafreya looked between them. “We should prepare Ignis’ body for a funeral,” she said quietly.”

No one moved for a moment. No one seemed to breathe. 

A funeral. They had to plan a funeral for Ignis.

“I can clean him,” Lunafreya said softly.

Iggy took a shuddering breath, looking up at her. “I will help you,” he whispered hoarsely.

“Iggy!” Noct whispered in surprise. Gladio looked at Iggy in shock.

Iggy turned to face Noct, taking his face in his hands. “I need to do this,” he whispered. “He deserves it. I need…I need to help.”

Noct stared at him. He couldn’t imagine stripping Ignis’ body down and washing it. He bit his lip. He didn’t want to let go of Iggy, but he finally nodded.

He blinked back tears as he stared into those green eyes. “I love you,” he said fiercely.

Iggy managed a sad smile. “I love you, Noctis.” He stepped back, looking at the door to the room that held Ignis’ body. He visibly steeled himself, then opened the door and walked through.

Lunafreya looked at Noct. “Do you have anything I can wear besides this dress?”

Gladio stood up. “Prompto’s got some stuff. He’s the smallest of us. Be right back.”

Gladio darted into the room that Prompto and Cor had led the king to. He could hear the shower running, and he quickly grabbed a pair of Prompto’s sweatpants and a shirt. He sniffed them, making sure they weren’t ones Prompto had worn recently.

They smelled like fresh soap, the kind Iggy used when he did their laundry. He closed his eyes. He sighed, blinking back tears.

He took the clothes out to Lunafreya. She nodded her thanks, ducking into the main room and changing quickly. She hung her dress in the closet, noticing another Kingsglaive jacket hanging there. She fingered the jacket, then turned and walked back out.

She smiled as best she could and went to the room holding Ignis. She quietly shut the door behind her.

Gladio watched the door shut and ran his fingers through his hair. Noct sat hunched on the couch, silent tears rolling down his face.

“Hey,” Gladio whispered. “C’mere.” He opened his arms to Noct, and the prince threw himself at Gladio, crying in his broad chest. Gladio held him, his own tears finally overwhelming him. 

He rocked back and forth, him and Noct holding each other tightly. Both men knew that they were lucky to still have _their_ Ignis alive and mostly well. But neither man could get the sight of a dead Ignis from their heads.

The door to Prompto’s room opened and Cor stepped out, scrubbing his face and looking years older. He saw the two men holding each other on the floor and sat beside them. 

“Where’s Iggy and the Oracle?” Cor asked after a moment.

Gladio swallowed, his cheek on Noct’s head. “Cleaning Ignis’ body,” he said hoarsely.

Cor glanced at the closed door that hid Ignis. He wasn’t sure he’d be able to do what Iggy was doing.

The three men sat in silence, Noct half on Gladio’s lap, each lost in their own thoughts. 

Each wondering what would come next.

FFXV

Iggy stood above the bed, staring down at his older self. His face was pale and tear streaked. Lunafreya walked up next to him, putting her hand on his shoulder.

She felt Iggy stand up straighter. “Let’s get started,” he said stiffly.

She squeezed his shoulder, dropping her hand and walking to the other side of the bed. She leaned over Ignis and started to undo his jacket, pulling his gloves off first.

Iggy reached over and gently pulled the visor from Ignis’ face. He looked at the reflective lenses. One was cracked. Iggy wondered it happened. He set the visor carefully on the bedside table and turned back.

He flinched. Ignis’ right eye was locked on the ceiling, filming over. Iggy reached out and gently closed his eyelid. He couldn’t look at that sightless eye, clouding over in death, but he didn’t want to leave the visor on while they cleaned him.

He knelt on the bed, gently lifting Ignis towards him so Lunafreya could peel the jacket from his body. It was difficult. Ignis was heavy, boneless against Iggy’s shoulder. Iggy tried not to think about the fact that he was, essentially, holding his own dead body.

Lunafreya silently pulled the undershirt from Ignis’ body, setting it aside. Iggy lay him back down, and they stared in silent shock at his chest.

He was covered in scars. Streaks covered his left side, like the one that covered his eye. Iggy’s eyes swept over Ignis’ body and he was filled with bitter regret again.

Every scar was a story, a story he would never know.

He could pick out the few scars that they shared. There was the burn on his elbow from the time when he was seven and thought that he could carry a pot of boiling water. The king had found him, and had kissed the burn better.

There was the old scar from sparring with Gladio, and he knew there would be others on his legs.

But most of the scars were ones Iggy didn’t have. Would never have.

He was thankful, of course, but he still didn’t quite know what to think.

Each scar was a story that would never be told.

“What happened to him?” Lunafreya asked quietly, unlacing Ignis’ boots. Iggy went to help her, tearing his eyes away from Ignis’ scarred chest.

“He wouldn’t tell me,” Iggy said softly, gently tugging the boot off and working on the other. “He never even told Noctis what had happened.”

He sniffed, pulling the other boot off. Lunafreya touched his hand. “I can do this alone, Iggy.”

He shook his head. “No. Thank you, Lady Lunafreya, but I have to do this.”

Lunafreya nodded, rolling Ignis’ socks down his legs.

Iggy undid the pants, rolling them carefully down his thighs. They were soiled, not just with blood. The body evacuated after death. It was normal, it was heart wrenching. 

Neither one of them commented as Iggy stuffed the pants in a bag and opened the balcony doors to let in fresh air.

Lunafreya went into the bathroom and got all the towels, soaking some and leaving others dry. She brought them back out.

Iggy stared at Ignis’ naked body, sad and small in death. He blinked back sudden tears and sat on the edge of the bed, covering his mouth.

Lunafreya didn’t say anything. She took one of the wet towels and gently started to wash Ignis’ face. She could hear Iggy crying softly, and after a few minutes he took a towel and started at Ignis’ feet.

They worked in a companionable, if sad, silence. Iggy worked up Ignis’ legs, cleaning each one carefully and wiping away excrement and urine silently. He shoved those towels in the same bag as the soiled pants. Lunafreya cleaned his shoulders and chest, wiping blood away. She stared at the stab wound.

“Do you have a sewing kit?” Lunafreya asked.

Iggy nodded, walking over to his bag and digging through it. He handed it to Lunafreya. She pulled out a needle and thread and began to stitch the wound back together. She tied off the thread and Iggy finished cleaning Ignis stomach, and they carefully rolled him onto his stomach.

They silently cleaned his back, and Lunafreya stitched up the wound on his back.

Iggy rubbed at the spot on his stomach. 

“This must be very strange for you,” Lunafreya said softly.

Iggy nodded. “I spent the days he was with us avoiding him,” he said quietly, tears burning in his eyes. “I didn’t know how to act around him, how to handle looking at him. I had so many questions that I was afraid to ask, and now I’ll never know.”

He took a shaky breath and they carefully rolled him back over again.

“There was another Kingsglaive uniform in the other room. I think it might be too big for him, but…” Lunafreya started.

Iggy wiped his eyes. “I can make it fit him. I think it is fitting. He died as a Kingsglaive…”

Lunafreya nodded. Iggy walked over to his bag again and pulled out a pair of briefs. He fought to get Ignis’ legs to cooperate.

“Get the uniform,” Iggy said. “We need to get him dressed.”

Lunafreya nodded and left the room, coming back moments later carrying the other uniform.

Together, they struggled to get the pants on his body. The shirt and jacket were marginally easier. They put the same boots back on him, meticulously lacing them up.

His body was starting to stiffen. Iggy tilted his head, and his hands cracked with ice magic. Lunafreya watched as he pressed his hands against his older self’s body and froze it, staving off rigor mortis.

Iggy shook as he stepped back. Lunafreya took his hands. He looked at her, green eyes swimming with tears. She pulled him against her in a tight a hug, and he clung to her, crying for Ignis, for Noctis, and for himself.

Lunafreya gave him the time he needed, and then gently wiped his face. She led him back to the others, closing the door behind them.

They joined the others silently. Noct curled between Iggy and Gladio. Lunafreya sat next to Cor.

No one said a word.

There were no words they could say.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please let me know what you thought of this chapter!


	12. Chapter Twelve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ignis is sent into the west

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a very hard time with this chapter. I'm not sure about it, but I need to get it out. Shorter chapter.
> 
> not beta-ed, all mistakes mine.

Noctis wasn’t sure why he felt so terrible when he woke. There was something wrong, he knew that much. His head felt weird, like it was too big and too heavy and trying to float away at the same time. His throat was dry, and his nose and eyes burned like he had been crying.

Where was Ignis? The person in the bed next to him wasn’t Ignis; his body was too small, too soft.

Where was—

He remembered.

Ignis was dead.

Ignis had sacrificed himself for Lunafreya.

Noctis let out a strangled sob. He felt strong, wiry, arms wrap around him and Prompto’s voice whispering soothing words.

Noctis clung to him, sobbing anew. 

Oh gods, Ignis was dead. 

Prompto held him, shoving his own tears down. He could grieve for Ignis later. Noctis needed him now.

FFXV

The others sat in the room in silence, the sun slowly setting and dousing the room in golden light.

Lunafreya sat silently between Gladio and Cor. She twisted her hands in her lap. She wished they had explained just what was going on a bit better than Cor’s hurried explanations in her ear, but she understood that they couldn’t.

She was trying to figure out how to…dispose….of Ignis’ body. She didn’t even like thinking that word. She tried to think of places they could hold a funeral for him.

Not the altar. She wouldn’t subject Noctis—any of them—to that again. The arena? No. Holding his funeral in an arena where animals fought to the death wouldn’t be fitting.

She looked a painting of the ocean and burning boat.

Perhaps— 

There was a knock at the door, pulling her from her thoughts. Iggy frowned, and slowly got off the couch and opened the door, dagger hidden behind his back.

It was Weskham and Cid, and Camelia stood behind them. Weskham carried a plate full of food. Iggy stepped aside, letting them in. He seriously considered slamming the door in the first secretary’s face, but he held back the urge.

He couldn’t afford to be juvenile. 

Camelia looked at the people in the room. They looked pale and worn and sad. The Oracle looked at her, getting to her feet.

“I offer my condolences for the loss of the Kingsglaive,” Camelia said quietly.

No one replied. The door to the room with Prompto and Noctis opened, and the two men walked out. Noctis looked terrible.

Noctis stared at the first secretary and felt a wave of rage wash over him. Was she here to take Lunafreya away? Or worse, empty platitudes about—

No. He couldn’t think his name.

“Altissia offers you whatever you may need,” she continued after a moment.

Lunafreya looked at the others then back at the first secretary. “We need a boat.”

“Hey!” Cid snapped.

Lunafreya spared him a smile. “Not for leaving Altissia. We need a small boat, an old gondola, perhaps. One that will burn.”

Everyone stared at Lunafreya. Camelia nodded. “Of course.”

Noctis frowned at Luna. Why did they need a gondola?

Lunafreya took a deep breath, feeling Noctis’ eyes on her. “We will farewell Ignis Scientia tomorrow at sundown,” she whispered.

Noctis felt like he had been shot through the chest. They were planning a funeral for Ignis. Prompto held him up.

Noctis was aware of Lunafreya and Camelia talking to one another, but he couldn’t make out their words. The only thing that kept going through his mind was the fact that he was going to have to attend Ignis’ funeral.

When he finally managed to pull himself out of that dark place, the first secretary was gone. Prompto led him slowly to the table. Noctis stared at the food Weskham brought.

“You need to eat,” Prompto said quietly, sitting next to Noctis.

Noctis shook his head. He didn’t think he could eat. Prompto sighed, shoulders slumping. He took a piece of bread and buttered it, holding it out to the king.

“Please. Please don’t waste away,” Prompto whispered.

Noctis thought that might be easier, but he didn’t like seeing Prompto looking like a kicked puppy. He took the bread and took a bite. It felt like cement in his stomach, but he finished it.

Iggy stood up after a while and disappeared into the room holding Ignis. Noctis frowned, watching him.

He felt the pull of magic from Iggy. Iggy was doing something.

Iggy came out a moment later, face drawn and pale.

“What are you doing to him?” Noctis half snarled.

Everyone froze, staring at the king in shock. Iggy looked distressed. Noctis stood up.

“I can feel you pulling magic from me. What are you doing to him?” His voice rose. 

“Noctis,” Prompto whispered, trying to push the king back.

“What are you doing to him?” Noctis half sobbed. “Don’t you touch him! You…you can’t! You of all people.”

Iggy looked like Noctis had physically struck him. He opened his mouth, closed it. What did the king mean ‘you of all people’?

“What are you doing to him?” Noctis nearly screamed.

“I’m keeping his body cold,” Iggy snarled back, hands shaking.

Noctis stared at him. He didn’t understand. He stared at Iggy, looking so perfect with his scar free face, his green eyes, so very much _alive_.

It wasn’t fair.

“Don’t touch him,” Noctis snarled, swinging his fist.

No one expected it, especially Iggy. Noctis’ fist connected with his cheek, sending Iggy reeling to the ground. Noctis screamed, his rage and sadness tearing at his throat.

Noctis leapt on Iggy, pummeling him. Iggy didn’t fight back. He let Noctis beat him, shaking his head when Gladio tried to pull the king off him.

Noctis needed this. He could take a potion later to nurse his wounds. He would try not to think about the fact that Noctis was beating him.

Finally, seconds, minutes, hours, later, Noctis went limp, sobbing into Iggy’s chest. Iggy wrapped his arms slowly around him, trying not to wince at the pain.

“Ignis, Ignis,” Noctis sobbed. Iggy lay silent beneath the king, holding him gently. Noct stared at his older self, feeling a shadow of what Noctis had felt.

He could easily picture his Ignis, his Iggy, dead in his place.

Noctis went limp on Iggy’s chest, finally exhausted. Gladio carried Noctis back to the bedroom.

Iggy sat up, hissing when he felt his cheek. He could feel bruises all over his body. Noct knelt next to him, brushing his hair back. 

“What were you doing?” Prompto asked. “If you were pulling magic from him?”

Iggy rubbed his cheek. Gods, that hurt. He sighed. “I was using ice magic to keep his body cold,” he said quietly. “The heat in Altissia makes bodies decompose faster. I was just trying to…to make sure…make sure…”

“Make sure he’s presentable tomorrow,” Weskham said quietly. “That is a very smart thing, Iggy.”

Iggy shrugged, flinching at the pain in his ribs. Cor pressed a potion into his hand, and Iggy cracked it, sighing as the healing mist settled over him.

“You still have a bruise on your face,” Noct said, brushing his thumb over it.

“I’ll survive,” Iggy said quietly. Iggy got to his feet. “I’ll stay with Weskham tonight. I don’t think Noctis needs me around right now.”

“Iggy,” Noct whispered. Iggy shook his head.

“It’s not fair to the king for me to be here,” he said quietly. “Noct, keep using the ice magic on him, please. Don’t let…Don’t let him see him like that.”

Noct nodded, fighting back tears. He didn’t want to be separated from Iggy. Not after watching Ignis die. 

But he understood. He pulled Iggy down and kissed him hard on the mouth, not caring that the others were watching.

Weskham stood up, waiting for Iggy by the door. Iggy grabbed his jacket and followed the older man out the door, leaving the others in silence.

After a moment, Prompto went back to Noctis’ room.

“What do we need a boat for?” Gladio asked, watching Prompto disappear into the room.

“We will put Ignis on it and send him into the west,” Lunafreya said. “With a little magic, we will give him a warrior’s farewell.”

No one said anything.

“When?” Gladio said.

“At sundown tomorrow,” Lunafreya whispered. “As Oracle, I can lead the rites.”

No one moved.

A funeral for Ignis.

FFXV

The next day, Lunafreya and Iggy prepared Ignis’ body for a funeral. She had retrieved Iggy in the morning, while Noctis was still asleep. 

Iggy’s cheek had a brilliant bruise, dark against his skin. Lunafreya didn’t say anything. Neither did Iggy.

A small boat was taken to a back alley behind the Leville, and Gladio, Noct, and Cor prepared it for Ignis. Prompto stayed with the king.

They removed the seats from the old gondola, and made a bed of dry driftwood. Cor doused it all in pitch, then they covered it with black cloth.

They didn’t really talk. Cor occasionally directed them, but besides that, the three men were silent.

They rigged the gondola with a small mast and sail.

Iggy styled Ignis’ hair in his pompadour, keeping his body cool. He and Lunafreya didn’t have much to do, but they both wanted him to look perfect.

Iggy didn’t talk. Weskham had told her he hadn’t said much the night before. Lunafreya knew that Noctis’ reaction the day before had hurt Iggy, but that Iggy was trying to hide it. 

She wondered if he thought he didn’t deserve to grieve, since he was alive and Ignis was dead. She really didn’t know how to broach the subject with him. 

Noctis stayed in his room with Prompto. Prompto didn’t complain. Whenever he tried to leave, even just to go to the bathroom or grab a quick bite, Noctis would cling to him. He sat on the bed while Noctis wept, running his fingers through the king’s hair.

Prompto had never been to a funeral before. He wasn’t really looking forward to Ignis’ that night.

The day went both too fast and too slow for Noctis. He knew what the others were doing, but he tried not to think about it.

He tried not to think about how Ignis would never touch his face again, would never cook for him, or kiss him.

He tried not to think of the fact that there was _an_ Ignis out there. Just not his Ignis.

Lunafreya walked in, wearing her white dress.

“It’s time,” she whispered.

Noctis wanted to run, to disappear.

Instead, he followed Prompto out the door. He froze when he saw Iggy standing at the back of the room, staring at the floor. He saw the bruise on Iggy’s cheek and his heart twisted.

He had done that. He had struck Ignis. He had hurt Ignis. Iggy. Ignis. He didn’t know anymore. They merged together. They were both Ignis.

He walked forward slowly. Iggy went rigid as he approached. Noctis rested his hand on Iggy’s cheek, cupping the bruise.

“I’m sorry,” Noctis whispered, hand glowing briefly as he sent healing magic through Iggy.

Iggy took a shuddering breath as the last remnants of the physical pain drifted away.

They all knew that nothing would take away the pain of Ignis’ death.

The only thing that kept Noctis putting one foot in front of the other was the knowledge that he would join Ignis soon.

FFXV

They went back to the altar. As much as Lunafreya didn’t want to take Noctis back there, it was clear sailing to open ocean from there, and that’s what she needed.

Altissia gathered, watching the procession in silence. Once again, Gladio carried Ignis. He seemed heavier, his body cold to the touch. Gladio followed Lunafreya, who led the way with her trident gleaming.

The others trailed behind, walking silently.

Waiting near the altar was the gondola Noct and the others had prepared. Carefully, lovingly, Gladio lowered Ignis to the boat, laying him out carefully.

Noctis stood between Prompto and Cor, watching blankly. It didn’t seem real. How could that be Ignis in the boat? How could Ignis be dead?

Haltingly, Noctis pulled Ignis’ daggers from the armory. It almost hurt. He shook as he stepped forward. Gladio moved back.

Noctis knelt on the dock next to Ignis. He brushed a strand of hair that had fallen out of the pompadour back.

He tried not to react to how cold Ignis’ body was. His hands shook as he carefully wrapped Ignis’ fingers around the daggers.

Ignis should have his daggers. He needed his daggers.

Noctis needed Ignis.

He let out a shaky sob as he leaned over and pressed his lips against Ignis’ cold, still ones. He kept his forehead pressed against Ignis’, tears rolling down his face and falling onto Ignis’ cheeks.

“Please, Ignis,” Noctis whispered, “please don’t leave me.”

He knew it was fruitless. Ignis was dead. He was gone. He wasn’t coming back.

He wanted to go with him, right now. He half crawled onto the boat, only to feel gentle hands pull him back.

Gladio held him as he stared at Ignis’ body.

Ignis’ body. 

Gladio gently walked backwards, keeping Noctis close.

Lunafreya nodded at Cor and Prompto, and the two men pushed the gondola onto the water.

Lunafreya lifted her trident. Iggy’s eyes widened when Gentiana appeared next to her. Lunafreya pointed the tines of the trident at the gondola, and Gentiana seemed to breathe gently.

The sail filled with a cold wind, and the little boat bobbed and pulled away from the altar.

Gladio’s arms tightened around Noctis.

Lunafreya started to sing. They couldn’t understand the ancient words, but it seemed to them all that the Oracle sang of love, and forgiveness, and light. She sang about what awaited Ignis beyond the horizon.

Gladio’s arms were folded around Noctis, fully supporting the king. Gladio could feel Noctis’ tears land on his arm. Prompto stood next to them, tears running unchecked down his face.

Iggy stood at the back of the group, trying to remain silent. He didn’t want to disturb Noctis.

The boat carrying Ignis sailed away, pushed by a cold, goddess given, wind. Lunafreya nodded at Cor.

Cor stepped forward, a longbow in his hand. He took an arrow from Prompto. He notched it, drawing the arrow. Noct touched the end of the arrow, and it burst into blue flame. Cor nodded at him, aiming at the distant boat.

“May my aim be true,” Cor whispered, releasing his fingers.

They watched as the arrow arched high into the sky. Lunafreya kept singing, her voice weaving around the arrow, carrying it to Ignis’ boat.

The moment the sun dipped behind the horizon, the arrow struck true, and the boat burst into flames.

Noctis buried his head against Gladio’s chest, unable to watch as Ignis’ body was devoured by flames.

The embers danced into the darkening sky, like brief lived stars against the velvet sky.

FFXV

Night fell, and they remained at vigil. Ignis’ boat had long since disappeared into the western horizon, carried away by magic and despair.

The people of the city who had gathered to watch them farewell Ignis dispersed, back to their regular lives.

The death of one man didn’t affect them. The war didn’t affect them.

Eight people remained standing on the altar, looking into the west long after the sun went down.

Noctis stood alone, fingers rubbing the skull pendant around his throat.

Ignis was gone. His body was ash and dust at the bottom of the sea.

He was alone. He would have to face the end alone.

He bit his lip to stifle a sob. Of course, in the end, no matter what, he would’ve had to face the end alone. Even if they had never been sent back, he still would’ve been alone. 

“Ignis…” he whispered. “Soon. I’ll be with you soon.”

He dropped his hand from his neck. He stared into the star strewn darkness. The others were silent, giving the king the time and space he needed.

Noctis knew the truth. There was never enough time.

He turned away from the west and started walking slowly away.

The others followed.

The altar was empty, no sign of the death that had happened the day before, no sign of Leviathan. 

Shiva appeared at the end of the altar, staring into the west. She touched her fingers to her lips.

“Thank you, Ignis Scientia. You did exactly what you needed to do.”

Shiva disappeared, a ring of frost on the altar the only sign that she had been there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and kudos are love, and I really am curious about your reaction to this.


	13. Chapter Thirteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A transition chapter. Ardyn throws a temper tantrum, Iggy doesn't really know how to act, Prompto looks at photos.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay. I had to take a break from this story, because I was super discouraged with it. This chapter is a transition, from the horrors of Altissia to how everyone deals with it and the ultimate end. Shorter chapter, but I'm still not entirely there with this story. The emotional turmoil of the Episode Ignis trailer made me want to get this chapter out, so I did.
> 
> Also, check out [this](https://twitter.com/Kirakanjo/status/923774670012215296) lovely art by [@Kirakanjo](https://twitter.com/Kirakanjo) of the two Ignis'. THANK YOU AGAIN I LOVE IT SO MUCH.
> 
> not beta-ed

Ardyn was livid. He had no idea what had gone wrong. He screamed, slamming his fist into the side of the airship. He’d had everything figured out, and in one moment, everything was going horribly wrong.

Ravus stared at him in horrified fascination. He didn’t know what had happened in Altissia, but he had never seen the chancellor so enraged.

He locked eyes with Aranea, and she tilted her head, gesturing for him to come closer.

Ardyn raged, and Ravus moved to the cockpit.

“I’m leaving after I drop the chancellor off,” she whispered, eyes on the sky before her. Ravus nodded.

“I figured.”

Aranea glanced at him. “You should leave too. He’s not stable anymore.”

Ravus shook his head.

“Look, I know you’ve been feeding the empire misleading information about your sister’s movements, but what else can you do now?”

“I need to stay and watch. The king should come to get the sword.”

“Something went wrong,” Aranea said bluntly. “Something went wrong and Ardyn is losing what little mind he had left. You should get out before he kills you.”

Ravus looked back out the window, staring down at his arm. “It won’t be Ardyn that kills me,” he whispered, feeling the corruption from the limb.

Aranea didn’t respond. She wasn’t sure there was anything she could say.

FFXV

Ardyn stalked through the halls of Zegnautus Keep. The emperor scurried after him, raging about how the Crystal was his and Ardyn had no right to take it.

Ardyn spun, slamming Aldercapt into the wall and holding him up by the throat.

“My dear emperor, let me make one thing perfectly clear. If it wasn’t for me, you wouldn’t have the Crystal at all.”

“You can’t take it! With it, I can rule Eos!” Aldercapt choked out, feet kicking uselessly against the wall. Why weren’t his troopers helping him?

Ardyn leaned forward, corruption bleeding from his skin, darkness weeping from his eyes. “The Crystal belongs to me. I tire of this.”

“Help me!” Aldercapt cried to the Magitek troopers. The troopers didn’t move, staring at them placidly through glowing eyes.

“Foolish mortal,” Ardyn whispered in Aldercapt’s ear. “They are as much mine as the Crystal. This has never been about you and you pitiful empire. It has been about revenge, my revenge, against the gods and the damnable kings of Lucis. You, you pitiful excuse for a human, were always just a means to an end. But now…now the game has changed. I’m afraid…you are no longer needed.”

With a swift motion, Ardyn cracked Aldercapt’s neck. The emperor’s body hit the ground with a thud. Ardyn stared down at him, disgusted.

He spun on his heel and started walking. He waved his hand towards Aldercapt’s body.

“Dispose of that,” he said the troopers.

The door slammed shut behind him, and he cursed the gods again. He didn’t understand. How was it possible that Noctis had the full power of kings? 

“How, how, how?!” Ardyn bellowed, crushing his hat in his hand. He stood before the Crystal, breathing hard.

“All my carefully laid plans, destroyed. This is the doing of the gods. IFRIT!”

He felt that bond to the Infernian. He felt the room heat and he turned, staring into Ifrit’s eyes.

“What the hell happened, Infernian?” Ardyn growled, eyes glowing with Starscourge.

_I do not know._

“You are a god!”

 _I am but a shadow of what I once was. Do not look to me for your failures, Accursed One._ Ifrit disappeared in a wash of flames. Ardyn snarled, patting the fire on his sleeve out.

“I will destroy all the gods,” Ardyn spat, “including you, Infernian.”

He turned and stared at the Crystal. “But first, I have a king to bring to heel.”

FFXV

They were silent as they climbed on the boat. Prompto helped Noctis into a seat and sat beside him, quiet. Gladio touched Prompto’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

Cor helped Lunafreya onto the boat. She wore casual clothes that Iggy had bought for her, her dress folded away. Umbra sat at her feet.

Iggy stood in the wheelhouse with Cid, trying to stay out of Noctis’ sight. Noct paced back and forth between Iggy and the others, feeling restless. He wanted to wrap himself around Iggy and never let go, but Iggy was being very withdrawn.

They had to figure out how to deal with Ignis’ death, and it wasn’t easy.

The boat raced across the water. 

Gladio went into the wheelhouse and pulled out his phone. He hadn’t had time to call Iris and tell her what happened. He looked at Iggy, who seemed to be listening to Cid explain how to steer the boat. 

He stood in the corner and dialed Iris.

_“Gladdy!”_

“Iris,” he said quietly.

She was silent a moment. _“What happened?”_

“We’re on our way back, Iris,” he whispered.

_“Gladdy, you’re scaring me.”_

“Iris…Ignis is dead,” Gladio said. He didn’t miss the way Iggy’s shoulders tensed. So he was listening.

_“What? Oh my gods. How’s Noctis?”_

“Not doing well. It…gods, Iris,” his eyes burned. “I just wanted to give you a heads up. Tell the others. Cor may have contacted Dustin and Monica, I don’t know, but just…”

_“Is everyone else okay?”_

Gladio swallowed. “We’re managing. It’s not easy. Iggy…Iggy seems to be having a hard time.”

_“Gladio, we’ll be waiting. I’ll cook up some comfort food for everyone.”_

Gladio smiled, wiping his eyes. “Thanks, Iris. I love you.”

_“Love you, too, Gladdy. Stay safe.”_

The call ended, and Gladio slipped his phone back into his pocket. He looked at Iggy, staring blankly at the ocean with his shoulders hunched. He dropped his hand onto Iggy’s shoulder, squeezing gently.

Iggy didn’t say anything. Gladio sighed and dropped his arm, going back to the others.

Cid didn’t say anything as he drove the boat back to Caem. 

Iggy was thankful for it. He wiped his eyes again, feeling more and more distant from everyone else.

He felt half dead already.

FFXV

Iris was waiting for them when the boat pulled into dock. She leapt into Gladio’s arms the moment his feet touched the ground. He held her tightly, breathing hard.

She looked at the king as he stood next to Cor. He looked pale and wan, like he was already fading away. She stepped toward him slowly. She held out a flower.

“For you, majesty,” she whispered.

Noctis took the flower carefully, stroking its soft petals. “Thank you, Iris.”

She smiled, stepping back. Her eyes widened when she saw Lunafreya.

“Gladdy, you didn’t say the Oracle was going to be with you!” she hissed.

Gladio shrugged. “There’s been a lot going on, Iris.”

Lunafreya smiled and stepped forward. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Amicitia.”

Gladio swore he hadn’t seen his sister so red since she had dragged Noctis around Lestallum. He smiled at Iris’ strangled reply.

Monica looked at them. “We have food waiting,” she said quietly.

Cor nodded. “Thank you, Monica, Iris. Let’s go back to the house.”

He put his hand on the small of Noctis’ back, gently steering the king back to the house. Lunafreya fell into step with Prompto behind them, and Gladio and Iris were behind them.

Cindy waited for Cid and wrapped her grandfather in a tight hug. They followed the group down to the house.

Iggy and Noct stood on the dock. Iggy stared into the distance, jumping when Noct touched his shoulder.

“Iggy? You okay?” Noct asked.

Iggy blinked, turning to look at Noct.

His breath caught. He could _see_ Noctis. He reached a trembling hand out and touched his cheek. He had what the other him never got. 

“Noct,” he whispered, eyes filling with tears.

Noct wrapped his arms around Iggy, holding him close. Iggy clung to him, breathing in the scent of his hair. 

Noct listened to Iggy’s heart thundering under his ear. He closed his eyes, concentrating on the sound that meant that he was _alive_ and in his arms.

“I’ve got you,” Noct whispered. “I’m never letting you go.”

Iggy didn’t reply, but he tightened his arms around Noct.

He made it out of Altissia with his sight, but he felt like some other part of him had been destroyed.

FFXV

Iggy stopped at the front door of the house, staring at the door. “I’m going to go unload the Regalia, Noct.”

Noct looked at him. “You need to eat.”

Iggy shook his head. “I’ll eat later, after Noctis goes to sleep. It’s not fair to him for me to be around him.”

He kissed Noct on the head and turned, walking slowly back to the lighthouse. Noct stared after him, frowning.

He jumped when a hand landed on his shoulder. “Give him time, Noct,” Cor whispered.

Noct nodded, wiping his eyes and following Cor back into the house.

FFXV

It took Iggy a while to unload the Regalia without help, but he didn’t want to be around anyone.

Even Noct.

He finally got the car off the boat and onto the dock. He drove it down the hill to the dirt lot. It was raining by the time he got it parked.

He sat in the driver’s seat, his head on the wheel. He listened the rain on the roof and tried to forget.

Ignis was dead. He was dead. How strange it was to think that.

Ignis Scientia was dead, and yet here he sat, alive and breathing. 

Iggy bit back a cry, staring at his knees. Why had he avoided Ignis in the short time his older self had been with them? He had so many questions, and now he would never be able to ask.

How had he relearned how to fight? To cook? How had he survived the ten years without Noctis?

He could’ve asked about so many little things, but he hadn’t. He had, as Ignis had said on the balcony, avoided him. He didn’t know how to act around him, and it seemed he didn’t know how to act now that Ignis was dead.

Iggy angrily wiped his eyes. “You don’t have time for this,” he whispered to himself in disgust. “You can grieve later. You have to be strong for them.”

He pushed the pain and the guilt down, locking it away inside him. He got out of the Regalia and closed the door carefully. He stood in the rain, staring down at the car.

He straightened up and started walking slowly back towards the house, guilt at surviving when Ignis had not eating away at him like a cancer.

FFXV

Noctis fell into a troubled sleep not long after eating. Cor told Prompto he would stay with the king so Prompto could have some time to himself.

Prompto bolted out the door and barreled straight into Iggy, sending them both into a mud puddle.

“Ah, shit, Iggy, I’m sorry!” Prompto said, getting off the taller man.

“It’s quite alright,” Iggy said, pushing himself to his feet. He helped Prompto up and looked at the blonde. “Are you okay?”

Prompto nodded. “Cor’s with the king. I just…needed some time, ya know?”

Iggy nodded. He did understand. Prompto touched Iggy’s arm. “Are you okay?”

Iggy blinked, staring at him for a moment. “I have to be,” he said simply. He squeezed Prompto’s shoulder and walked through the door.

Prompto stared after him, confused. He shook his head and started up to the lighthouse. He rode the elevator up to the top, stepping out into the rain. He leaned against the wall and pulled out his camera.

He flipped through the pictures that he’d taken since Noctis and Ignis had shown up in the camp.

There was Noctis, driving the Regalia with an easy grace. Ignis, in the passenger seat with his head tilted back, sun on his cheeks. There was the one of both of them, standing in front of the Regalia at the gas station, arms around each other and the softest expressions on their faces.

Prompto sniffed, blinking back tears as they landed on the monitor of his camera.

There was the group shot of all of them before they left for Altissia.

And there was Noctis and Gladio, walking off after Gladio and Noct had gotten in their argument. A selfie of him and Ignis holding gelato. Ignis with a spot of gelato on his chin. Iggy and Ignis standing on the balcony, Altissia spread out below them. Noctis and Ignis on the same balcony, leaning against each other.

Gods, there was Noct, standing so confused in front of the first secretary, Noctis bursting through the door.

Leviathan, raging above the city. Prompto’s hands shook. Oh gods, had he actually taken photos of that moment?

He let out a sob. There was Cor, standing behind Ignis and guiding his dagger. Noct, arm around Lunafreya and tears on his face. Noctis surrounded by the Astrals, the ring glowing on his finger.

Ignis, dead in Noctis’ arms.

Prompto turned his camera off and wrapped his arms around his knees, sobbing hard. His chest hurt, his head hurt. He dropped his head onto his knees and shook.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in the rain, crying. He knew he had to go back to the others soon, but he wanted some time to himself.

Gods, how must Noctis be feeling? How was Iggy handling this?

He gasped when he felt arms wrap around him. He looked up, surprised to see Gladio sitting next to him.

“Gladio…”

“I know,” Gladio whispered, pulling Prompto to him. “I know, Prompto.” Gladio’s voice cracked.

Prompto buried his head in Gladio’s chest and sobbed. Gladio held him, staring up into the heavens, rain washing his tears away.

FFXV

Noct watched Iggy eat slowly. He sat next to Iggy, practically glued to his side. Iggy didn’t seen mind Noct’s hand on his thigh.

“What happens now?” Iris asked quietly, handing Noct another bowl.

“We need to be closer to Insomnia,” Cor said quietly, making another pot of coffee. “I figure we’ll stage at Hammerhead for the next month and then…” He shrugged. He would’ve liked to discuss it with Noctis, but the king was in no shape to talk to anyone.

“The hunters will be there, right?” Noct asked.

Cor nodded. “Dave is gathering them. I think they may actually be at Longwythe, but that’s close enough to Hammerhead for what we’re doing.”

“We should send them out, tell people that daemons could increase over the next month,” Noct said quietly.

Silence fell. Everyone stared at him. Iggy’s spoon fell into his soup, the clang loud in the room.

Noct stared levelly at Cor. 

He wasn’t the king, but he could step up and take some of the weight off Noctis’ shoulders for a while.

Iggy stared at him, bile rising in his throat.

He was going to lose Noct to the kingdom. Noct was going to step up and become king when Noctis was gone and Insomnia was restored.

He swallowed his bitterness, fighting to smile.

As long as he could remain by Noct’s side, he would be okay.

It would become his mantra.

As long as he could remain by Noct’s side, he would be okay.

He would have to be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I will get down on my knees and beg a little. Please tell me what you thought of this chapter or the story as a whole. I've been super discouraged with it and I'm trying to get past it, I really am. Anyway, thank you for reading.
> 
> comments and kudos are love.


	14. Chapter Fourteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Iggy can't sleep, Lunafreya tells them what happened in Insomnia, and hides the truth of one thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Shorter chapter, but I felt like where it ended was good. I hope people are still enjoying this, sad as it is.
> 
> not beta-ed

Iggy woke with a start, sitting straight up in bed. His nightmare drifted away before he could grasp at it. He couldn’t remember it, but his heart was pounding and tears were rolling down his face.

He looked at the sleeping man beside him. Noct. His prince, the man he loved. 

He took a shuddering breath and swung his legs over the side of the bed. He reached for his glasses, putting them on with shaking fingers.

He looked at the clock on the bedside table. “Bloody hell,” he muttered. Three in the morning. He’d gone to sleep maybe two hours earlier.

“Iggy?” Noct muttered quietly, blinking at him. Iggy turned and looked at him.

“Did I wake you, Noct?” Iggy asked.

Noct shook his head. “You not being next to me woke me up. You okay?”

“Dream,” Iggy said shortly. Noct reached for him, taking his hand. Iggy stared at their entwined fingers. He squeezed Noct’s hand.

“Come back to sleep,” Noct said.

“I’m going to go the bathroom, I’ll be right back,” Iggy said. He went to stand up, but Noct yanked his hand, tugging him close. 

“Love you, Iggy.”

Iggy stared into those eyes, barely visible in the dark, the light from the digital clock reflecting off them.

“And I love you,” Iggy replied quietly.

Noct smiled and let go of him, curling back on his side and seemingly falling asleep instantly. Iggy watched him for a moment. Never before had he really been jealous of Noct’s ability to fall asleep instantly.

Iggy just wished he could sleep at all. He ran his hand over his face as he stood up and eased out of the room.

He walked down the hall, listening to the rain on the roof.

The door to the bathroom opened just before he reached it and he froze. Noctis stepped out and went rigid when his eyes landed on Iggy.

They stared at each other in a tense silence.

Noctis swallowed. Seeing Iggy standing in his pajamas in the dark was heart wrenching. Noctis bit back a cry and shoved past him, disappearing into Cor’s room.

Iggy slid silently down the wall. He shook. He couldn’t shake the pain in Noctis’ eyes as they stared at each other. He took off his glasses and covered his face. His eyes burned with tears.

How was Noctis going to make it a month with Iggy standing there?

How would they all make it?

He could feel the wedding bands Ignis had given him in his pocket. He bit back a sob.

Iggy took a shuddering breath and stood up. He went to bathroom, not looking at himself once. He moved slowly down the stairs.

He wouldn’t be going back to sleep that night.

He brewed himself coffee, staring blankly at the wall.

He wished he and Noct had left. 

He took a drink of coffee.

He didn’t realize Noct stood on the floor above him, watching him sadly.

FFXV

Noctis heard footsteps ease past his room, and he looked out into the hallway, watching Noct disappear back into the room he and Iggy shared. Iggy hadn’t come back after they’d run into each other by the bathroom.

Noctis sat on the edge of the bed, head in his hands. He missed Ignis so much. Thinking about him brought the image of Ignis in his arms back in full force. 

Ignis wasn’t supposed to die.

He hadn’t wanted Luna die but…he shook his head, then let the thought finish anyway.

He wasn’t sure Ignis’ life was worth hers. It was horrible. It was the truth.

When he had realized why they…he…had been brought back, he had counted on Ignis being with him right up until the end.

He hadn’t counted on making that last journey alone, a hole where Ignis used to be in his heart.

He stood up and walked to the door, slipping back into the hallway. He could smell coffee brewing, and knew Iggy was downstairs. He looked that way for a moment, then turned and slipped into Noct’s room.

Noct was curled on the bed, asleep. Noctis sat in the corner of the room, sliding down the wall and staring at his younger self.

He needed to remind himself why he was doing this. This young man deserved more than Noctis had ever gotten.

Noctis suddenly wished he hadn’t given Ardyn a month to get the Crystal to Insomnia.

The faster he could die, the sooner he could be with Ignis again.

He sat there, watching his younger self sleep, tears falling into his lap.

FFXV

Cor came downstairs, frowning when he saw Iggy sitting at the table, looking half asleep and holding onto his coffee mug for dear life. He squeezed his shoulder gently and moved to get himself some coffee.

“Did you sleep at all?” Cor asked gently, sitting across from him.

Iggy shrugged. “A couple of hours.”

“You need to sleep as much as the rest of us,” Cor said quietly.

Iggy took a shaky sip of coffee. “I’ll be fine, Marshal. I’ve survived on limited sleep before.”

“You are allowed to feel, you know?”

Iggy dropped his eyes. “I can’t afford to at the moment.”

Cor opened his mouth to retort when Lunafreya walked in. She smiled at them, making herself tea. She sat next to Cor, blowing on the steam gently.

“The Marshal is right, you know,” Lunafreya said. “You can’t hide from this, Ignis.”

“Iggy!” he snapped.

Cor and Lunafreya stared at him. He dropped his eyes. “Iggy. I don’t think the king would take kindly to you calling me Ignis.”

“It’s your name,” Lunafreya said gently.

Iggy didn’t reply. He stared into his coffee mug, eyes shadowed by hair he hadn’t bothered to style.

He didn’t know how to tell them that he felt like he didn’t have a right to that name anymore.

“I’m going to go check the Regalia,” Iggy said quietly, unable to bear the tense silence between them any longer. He stood up and walked slowly to the door, stepping out into the rain without looking back.

Cor sighed, rubbing at his face. “That boy’s going to have some serious issues if he doesn’t talk to someone.”

“He feels like he can’t,” Lunafreya said, sipping her tea. “He’s trying to be strong for everyone.”

“It’s just like him,” Cor said. “He’s always put Noctis first, Noct, whoever.”

“I know,” Lunafreya said quietly. “Noct wrote about him often in the journal Umbra carried back and forth for us.”

They both looked up when Gladio came stumping through his bedroom door, covering a yawn.

“What, you couldn’t put on a shirt?” Cor asked dryly as Gladio fell into a chair.

Gladio half laughed. “And cover up my fabulous physique?”

Cor rolled his eyes.

Gladio stretched, running his fingers through his hair. “Honestly, I just rolled out of bed. Was too lazy.”

“I bet you ten gil Prompto happens to be wearing your shirt,” Cor said, arching his eyebrow.

“I’m not taking that,” Gladio said with false dignity. 

“Yeah, because you know I’m right,” Cor said with a grin. 

Lunafreya smiled, drinking her tea again. She nearly burst out laughing when Prompto did stumble out of the room wearing Gladio’s grey Crownsguard tee. Gladio blushed slightly, but didn’t hide the grin on his face.

Prompto collapsed into a chair. His eyes were red rimmed. He barely remembered Gladio carrying him back from the lighthouse. He felt drained, but better for having actually gotten to cry.

Cor pushed a cup of coffee at Prompto, and the blonde took it happily. The four of them sat in silence for a bit, lost in thought.

“Lady Lunafreya?” Cor asked after a while, staring into his coffee.

“Please, Marshal, call me Luna, or Lunafreya,” she said with a smile.

Cor blinked at her. “Yes, of course. Only if you call me Cor.”

She bowed her head in acquiescence.

“I was…I was wondering…” Cor swallowed, not lifting his head.

Lunafreya sighed. “You want to know about Regis’ death.”

Cor stiffened, eyes lifting as Noct and Noctis walked downstairs. They both froze, hearing Luna’s words.

She looked at the two men, so identical yet so different. 

Noct put his hand on Noctis’ back, guiding him silently down the stairs. Noctis kept his eyes down as he pulled out two chairs and sat, Noct lowering himself next to him.

Noct looked around, wondering where Iggy was. He swallowed, wishing Iggy had come back to bed the night before, just to hold him.

He’d woken up to Noctis in the corner of his room, watching him and crying. Noct hadn’t known what to do. He’d gotten up and sat next to the king, both lost in their own thoughts.

And to come downstairs to hear what Luna had said…gods he wished Iggy was here.

They all sat in an uncomfortable silence, broken only when Iris stumbled in yawning. Gladio hugged her with one arm, staring at his hand on the table.

Noctis took in Prompto wearing Gladio’s shirt and felt his face crack a soft smile. Gladio saw him looking and blushed again. Nothing had happened; they’d just held each other and cried for Ignis, and for Noctis.

“Will you tell us?” Noctis asked Luna, turning to face the Oracle. Noct stiffened next to him. Did he really want to know?

Yes. All he knew was that his father died. He would never be able to shake the image they had run in the paper, his body laying broken on the elaborate tile floor.

“You’re not going to like it,” Luna whispered.

Cor looked at the king and prince. They both looked resigned.

“Regis is dead,” Cor whispered, “we can’t change that, but…”

“Knowing might bring closure,” Noctis said thickly.

Lunafreya really doubted that. She took a deep breath, looking at everyone. Cor, next to her, looking every one of his years. Gladio, one arm around his sister and Iris with her arm around Gladio’s shoulders. Prompto, next to Gladio and swimming in Gladio’s shirt. Noct and Noctis, sitting still and waiting next to each other.

“It was Drautos,” she said evenly.

Cor’s coffee mug fell to the floor, shattering. Noct and Noctis stared at her in horror.

“D…Drautos?” Noct whispered in horror. He remembered Drautos calling out to him as they walked down the stairs, standing beside his father, where he had been as long as he could remember.

“I…I told Drautos that…I told him that my father was in his hands!” Noct cried out. Noctis grabbed his arm, keeping him in his seat, fighting the urge to scream.

Cor shook his head. “It can’t be. Drautos was my friend, Regis’ friend…no.”

Gladio swallowed thickly. “And my father?” he asked, arm tightening around Iris’ waist. Iris clung to his shoulders almost painfully.

Lunafreya looked at them. “He died first,” she whispered, “trying to save Regis.”

Iris let out a soft sob, and Gladio pulled her into his arms. He buried his head in the crook of Iris’ neck, shaking.

Drautos had spent countless evenings at their house, bouncing Iris on his knee, play fighting with Gladio, staying up late with Clarus.

He had been their friend!

Prompto tentatively put his hand on Gladio’s shoulder.

“What happened?”

“Drautos...he was General Glauca,” she whispered.

Cor hissed, standing up and pacing like a caged coerul. He remembered long nights trying to gather intelligence on the Niff general with Drautos.

“That son of a bitch,” he snarled, slamming his fist into the door frame. He stared at his hand as blood welled from between his knuckles.

“So he was never loyal to us?” Noct spat.

Lunafreya spread her hands, shrugging slightly. “That I do not know. I did not converse with him as Nyx and I tried to get Regis out.”

“Nyx? Nyx Ulric?” Cor asked, forehead resting against the wall.

“Yes,” Lunafreya said quietly. “We tried, Noctis, Noct, believe me. Drautos was far too powerful. Nyx...Regis asked him to watch over me after he gave me the Ring of the Lucii for safe keeping. We left him…he pulled his hand out of mine and built a wall between us. Nyx pulled me away, doing what his king asked him to do.

“We were attacked in the city plaza by another glaive, but saved by Libertus. Nyx…Nyx put on the ring.”

Noctis looked at the ring on his hand, clenching his fist. It destroyed Ravus and killed Nyx. What else had this ring taken?

“Somehow, the kings found him worthy. He offered his life in exchange for the power. He gave me the ring to give to you, Noctis, and then Libertus and I left. Gentiana told me he died after wielding the power of the old kings.”

“And Drautos?” Noctis whispered.

“Dead.”

“Good,” Noct said vehemently.

Iris was still crying, cuddling into her brother. Gladio said nothing, keeping his head pressed against her shoulder. Prompto rubbed his back.

“This…this is all too much,” Gladio whispered. He stood up, carrying Iris back to his room. Iris clung to him, weeping into his broad shoulders.

Prompto stared down at his hands, sniffing. He wondered what had happened to his parents. Adoptive parents. 

Noct stood up and grabbed a broom, sweeping up Cor’s coffee mug. Lunafreya stood and pulled Cor back to his seat, taking his bleeding hand in hers and cleaning it gently.

“I’m sorry, Cor,” she said softly, wrapping his hand.

“I asked,” he said stiffly. “I just…I had to know.”

She nodded. “I understand.”

Prompto stood up after a moment, not able to stand the sad tension in the room. He gently squeezed Noctis’ shoulder before disappearing after Gladio and Iris.

Noct dumped the remains of Cor’s cup in the garbage and washed his hands. He looked outside and paused, breath catching in his throat. 

Iggy stood in the rain, staring up at the sky like he was looking for answers. Noct’s heart clenched at seeing him there, alone.

He dried his hands and turned, heading for the door. He stepped outside, watching Iggy.

Iggy seemed to sense his eyes on him and turned. Their eyes locked. Noct could see how tired he looked.

Noct trotted down the steps and moved to join him. Iggy looked at him, swallowing hard. Noct wrapped his arms around Iggy’s waist, resting his head over his heart. Slowly, Iggy returned the embrace, resting his cheek against Noct’s hair.

The rain continued to fall, but for the moment, Iggy felt grounded.

He knew it wouldn’t last.

FFXV

Noctis had gone back to his room, curling up on his bed and fingering Ignis’ skull pendant.

It was too much to take in.

Ignis was gone and Drautos had murdered his father. He swallowed an angry sob, turning over in bed.

He didn’t move when the door opened. He heard heavy footsteps and felt the bed sag. He could smell the familiar scent of Cor’s cologne, and he sighed.

Cor didn’t say anything. He just let Noctis know he wasn’t alone by sitting with him.

He wasn’t sure what else he could do.

FFXV

It was still raining the next day. Noctis was okay with it. It reflected his mood. He sat in the corner of the sitting room, avoiding the others.

Noct and Cor were bent over a map of Lucis, deciding where to send people to alert the citizens of the probable coming dark. Iggy made food, doing his best not to say a word while Noctis was in the room.

Noctis watched him, a frown on his face. He felt ill every time his eyes locked on the younger man.

Iggy tried not to keep glancing between Noct and Noctis. Watching Noct step up was, on the one hand, everything Iggy had wanted when he was younger. On the other, knowing that Noctis would be dead at the end of the month…it was hard watching Noct turn into a king.

Iggy resigned himself, stirring the sauce in the noodles.

He would stay strong. For Noct. For Noctis.

For Ignis.

Lunafreya watched Iggy with her head tilted to the side. Even though she barely knew him, she could see the pain that he was in. He was putting everyone else, especially Noct and Noctis, ahead of himself.

Umbra had vanished in the night. She had given him a message to take to Ravus. She looked at her hands.

She felt weak. Her body was still failing her, every breath hurt. 

She knew the truth, but she couldn’t tell them. Especially Noctis.

It would destroy him.

She smiled at Iris as the young woman put a blanket around her shoulders.

They would know soon enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really interested in your thoughts, specifically about Drautos I guess. You ever think that Noctis said "Drautos, he's in your hands now" right before leaving, and then he never finds out (presumably) that Drautos was the one who killed his father? I didn't until this story. 
> 
> Please pretty please tell me what you thought of this chapter. I read and adore every comment.


	15. Chapter Fifteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They reach Hammerhead, Iggy and Lunafreya have a frank discussion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the next chapter. I do hope people are still enjoying this. Iggy and Noctis are not having a good time of this. They aren't handling their grief well.
> 
> Super interested to know your thoughts on this chapter. It will probably be the last one until Episode Ignis, as I want to wait for something to be confirmed before I write the next chapter.
> 
> not beta-ed

They pulled the Regalia into Hammerhead and got out, just the four of them. Noct looked around. It seemed that the others hadn’t arrived yet.

Cindy walked out of the garage, wiping her hands on a towel. “Yer the first,” she said. “The marshal called. They should be here by the end of the day. Monica said tomorrow morning for her crew.”

Noct nodded. “Thanks.”

“Guess that means we get first dibs on the caravan,” Prompto said, stretching.

“Shouldn’t we give it to the king?” Gladio asked, eyes darting at Noct.

Iggy simply got their gear out of the trunk in silence. Things seemed to be getting even more strained between him and Noctis. Noct didn’t know how to fix it. 

Noct shrugged. “That’d probably be the polite thing. There are going to be a lot of people here.”

“Pawpaw cleaned out his office. There’s just enough room for two in there.”

“You and Iggy take that, Noct,” Gladio said. Iggy nodded. It seemed like a plan to him. It was private, at any rate.

“How was the trip?” Cindy asked, looking between them.

“Long,” Gladio said. “Most people don’t want to believe that the sun could stop rising or something, even with all the evidence. Hopefully Cor and the king are having better luck convincing people.”

“They have Lady Lunafreya with them,” Prompto said. “I bet if she told people that the moon was made cottage cheese people would believe her.”

Iggy blinked. “Cottage cheese?”

“Yeah, I hate the stuff,” Prompto said.

“You’re so weird,” Gladio said with a laugh. Prompto smiled at him.

“Let’s get settled,” Iggy said, hoisting his bag on his shoulder. “Then I can help Takka make dinner.”

“Sounds good,” Noct said, taking his own bag. Cindy pointed them to the small office in the garage that had two cots in it.

Gladio grabbed his and Prompto’s bags. “We can set up the tent in the corner of the outpost,” he said. Cindy nodded.

“Sure thing,” she said. Gladio grabbed the tent and got it up. Prompto talked to Cindy a little longer before walking to Gladio.

He sat in one of the camp chairs, watching a few hunters mill around.

“What’s going to happen now, Gladio?”

Gladio sat next to him. “Not entirely sure. Noctis gave Ardyn a month to get the Crystal to Insomnia for their final showdown or whatever. I’m just hoping we can all make it a month,” Gladio muttered. “Noctis isn’t all there after Ignis’ death, and Iggy isn’t right either.”

“I can’t blame either of them,” Prompto said. “I mean, Noctis and Ignis were in love, and it was bad enough for us to watch Ignis die, can you imagine what it’s like for Iggy?”

“I try not to, honestly,” Gladio said quietly. “I keep replaying it in my mind, only instead of Ignis, it’s our Iggy, and…”

“Yeah…me too,” Prompto said. The two men sat in silence, the sun beating down on them. Gladio watched him for a moment, then reached out and took his hand.

Prompto looked at him, eyes wide. Slowly, he laced their fingers together. They sat together, silent, with their fingers intertwined, and waited.

FFXV

Noct glanced at Iggy as they set their bags down in Cid’s office. Iggy sat on one of the cots, cradling his head in his hands.

Noct sat next to him, the lines of their bodies touching.

“Iggy? You okay?” Noct asked.

Iggy lifted his head. “Of course, Noct. Just tired.”

Noct looked at him. He did look tired. His cheeks were hollow, and he had dark circles under his eyes. He looked as bad as Noctis had.

Noct knew he wasn’t fine. How could he be? Noct wasn’t fine either, but he was doing his best to keep busy. He put his hand on Iggy’s shoulder.

“Maybe you should rest a while.”

“I was going to help Takka with dinner.”

“Iggy,” Noct said quietly. “You look de—” He froze, eyes widening when he realized what he’d almost said.

“Dead on my feet?” Iggy asked wearily, looking at his hands.

“Yes,” Noct whispered. He stared at Iggy and suddenly he saw Ignis laying out on the bed, still and lifeless. In his mind, it was his Iggy laying there. He blinked back tears, fingers grasping at Ignis’ shirt.

Iggy sighed. “Perhaps you are right. I’m of no use to anyone this tired. If you don’t need me, I believe I will sleep for a while.”

Iggy pulled off his gloves and glasses, toeing his boots off and curling up on the cot. Noct stared at him, tears running freely down his face.

“But don’t you know, Iggy?” he whispered, “I’ll always need you.”

He slipped out of the office, closing the door quietly behind him.

Iggy opened his eyes, staring blankly at the grease stained wall before him. He made no effort to stop the tears rolling down his face.

He wished it had been him instead of Ignis. 

FFXV

Cor hopped back into his truck, glancing at Lunafreya and Noctis. Lunafreya gave him a wan smile, pulling Iggy’s jacket tighter around her shoulders.

He had given it to her as they had departed Caem a day earlier. She had been cold, and Iggy was ever the gentleman.

Noctis hadn’t seemed thrilled, given that he was sitting next to Lunafreya the entire trip and the jacket smelled of Iggy’s cologne. He hadn’t said anything though, just watching through pained eyes as the four younger men headed off in the Regalia.

He couldn’t stand to be in the car. It held far too many memories now; not just of his father (murdered by a man once considered a friend) but of Ignis.

He’d been silent as they headed up the road by Ravatogh, stopping at the outpost there to warn them of the possible coming storm. Most seemed to appreciate the warning. 

They had stopped at a station with a caravan for the night, each lost in their thoughts. Lunafreya stared up at the night sky, half in wonder that she was able to see it, wishing that Umbra would get back to her with Ravus’ reply.

She had joined them in the caravan, taking the bed they had gallantly left for her. They had set out the following morning after a hurried breakfast, heading for Meldacio. 

Now, they were crossing into Leide. Cor turned onto a dirt road, heading for the last hunter outpost before Hammerhead. Cor stopped his truck, dust settling around them. Cor opened the door, helping Lunafreya down. She smiled at him, drawing Iggy’s jacket around her as she looked around.

Noctis got out of the truck, face blank. He was wearing some of Dustin’s clothes, Cor’s being much too big for him and he had refused to take anything from Iggy. He couldn’t imagine wearing Iggy’s clothes, and he was just a bit larger than Noct.

He still remembered how tight his clothes had been when he’d come out of the Crystal. Somehow he had gain some muscle mass in there, and honestly he didn’t want to wear Noct’s stuff. 

He wasn’t that man anymore.

The hunters gathered around, recognizing all three of them even if they didn’t understand how Noctis had aged from the last time he’d been there.

“Listen well,” Cor said, voice cutting easily across the chatter. “You all know the daemons are getting stronger, and there’s a good chance that in the next month it’s only going to get worse. Be on alert, be ready to help people in need and get them somewhere with lights. If at all possible, don’t go out after dark.”

“The night is getting longer,” Lunafreya said, drawing their eyes. “You have all seen this. An age old prophecy is about to come to a close, and there is a good chance that the sun will cease to shine temporarily in the coming days and weeks.”

“Gather food just in case, and curatives. You must prepare for this. Even a couple of days without sunlight will wreak havoc on the crops and the people,” Cor continued, making eye contact with everyone to try to hammer the seriousness of the situation home.

“We will be at Hammerhead, and the Dave will run the hunters from Longwythe,” Cor said. 

“Stay safe,” Lunafreya said. She lifted her hand. “Blessed stars of light and life, deliver us from darkness’ blight.”

They always ended with her saying that little benediction. It seemed to bring peace to the people, knowing the Oracle was still there, was still fighting for them, and for their king.

Noctis never said a word. 

They got back in the truck and rumbled down the road in silence. Noctis stared out the window, watching the desert. It had been so long since he had been here in daylight. He remembered the beginning of the trip so well.

They had been so innocent.

The sun moved ever lower, casting long shadows across the desert.

FFXV

Iris stood in Lestallum, watching as Monica talked to many of the shop owners. She wished she had been able to ride with Gladio, but she understood.

She was still confused about what exactly had happened in Altissia. She couldn’t get a straight answer from anyone.

She only knew that Ignis had died, and Noctis the king and Iggy weren’t right anymore.

Talcott stood next to her, shifting on his feet. He didn’t like this city. He could only remember his grandfather getting killed before him.

He wondered why his majesty couldn’t go back far enough to save his grandfather. It wasn’t fair.

He sniffed, wiping his eyes. Iris wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug.

“Let’s go wait in the truck.”

Talcott nodded and they got in the back seat of Dustin’s truck. Iris handed Talcott a stuffed Moogle, and he clung to it, burying his face in its soft fur. Iris kept her hand on his shoulder, not bothering to fight the tears rolling down her own cheeks.

FFXV

Cor pulled into Hammerhead as the sun set. He parked the truck, looking around. Noct, Gladio, and Prompto were sitting around a tent in the corner near Takka’s. Iggy was nowhere to be seen. Cindy waved to them from the garage, and Cid was sitting in front of the garage, watching as Cindy detailed the Regalia.

He parked the truck and got out, helping Lunafreya down. Noctis jumped out of the truck, thinking about the last truck he’d gotten out of at Hammerhead.

It was very different now. Less weapons, less hunters, not completely fenced off.

He looked toward Takka’s, half expecting Ignis to walk out towards him.

He closed his eyes and looked away, grasping the skull necklace around his throat.

Ignis would never walk towards him again.

“The boys left the caravan for you three,” Cindy said, walking up to them. “Noct and Iggy are staying in Pawpaw’s office, and Gladio and Prompto set up their tent. You must be Lunafreya, lovely to meet ya.”

Lunafreya smiled. “It’s wonderful to meet you. Thank you for all the help you’ve given them since they left the city.”

“Oh, it’s been nothing,” Cindy said easily. “Pawpaw charged them out the ass for it, though.”

Cor bit back a laugh. “He would.”

Cor hoisted his and Lunafreya’s bags and walked them to the caravan. Lunafreya followed Cindy, leaving Noctis leaning against the truck.

Noctis’ eyes drifted to Gladio, Prompto, and Noct. Gladio had an arm over Noct’s shoulders, and Noct looked like he’d been crying. Prompto glanced up at Noctis and waved timidly.

Noctis walked slowly towards them. Prompto gestured to the empty chair, and Noctis fell into it gracelessly. He glanced at Noct out of the corner of his eye.

Where was Iggy, and why did Noct look like that?

He felt a twisted sort of savage pleasure. Maybe Iggy was gone, and Noct could go through what he was feeling.

His eyes widened slightly at the thought. He closed his eyes, shaking his head. 

No. That wasn’t fair. 

He was here to make sure Noct didn’t go through what he—they—had.

Then why did he feel like just giving up and leaving them to deal with Ardyn?

FFXV

Iggy sat up some hours later. He hadn’t slept, just stared blankly at the wall. He ran his fingers through his hair, shoulders slumping.

He couldn’t get the tone of Noct’s voice out of his head. _I’ll always need you._

He put his glasses on with shaking hands and stood up. He had to do something. Just sitting there, remembering Ignis, was painful.

He reached into his pocket and pulled out the two rings Ignis had given him. His knees buckled, and he stared at them in his hand.

_What was nothing but a dream for me, can be real for you and Noct. I want you to have them, Ignis. I…hope you can find the happiness that has long been denied me._

Iggy clutched the rings to his chest, sobbing. He curled over until his forehead touched the cement floor. His shoulders shook as he tried to catch his breath through the sobbing.

The rings pressed into the skin of his palm, leaving indents there.

“I’m sorry, I’m so sorry,” he cried. 

He wasn’t entirely sure who he was apologizing to; Ignis, Noct, Noctis, or himself.

He didn’t hear the door open, or the gentle footsteps. He started when a small hand touched his back. He looked up, desperately wiping his face.

Lunafreya stared at him sadly. “Come take a walk with me, please,” she said, holding out a handkerchief out to him.

He took it, lifting his glasses and wiping red rimmed eyes. Her eyes fell to the rings in his palm and she smiled sadly at him. She helped him to his feet, pressing the hand with the rings back against his stomach.

He put them back in his pocket with shaking hands. He pulled his boots on and then stood up. He held his arm out to her, and she placed her hand in the crook of his elbow.

Iggy was surprised to see that it was dark when they stepped out of the garage. He hadn’t realized he’d lain there that long. Lunafreya looked at him.

“Are you comfortable walking outside the confines of Hammerhead? The daemons shouldn’t bother us. Gentiana has lured them away for a few hours while we talk.”

Iggy nodded. “Of course. Lead the way, Lady Lunafreya.”

She smiled, keeping herself tucked against him. He noted that she still wore his jacket, and he could feel the bones in her hand on his arm.

She seemed incredibly thin.

Lunafreya steered him gently towards the back of Hammerhead, and the two stepped onto the sand.

They headed into the darkness, silent.

FFXV

Noct looked up from his spot in the booth in the diner as Luna and Iggy walked by, arm in arm.

Noctis followed them with his eyes, frowning. He had barely managed a glimpse of Iggy as they walked by, but the man looked awful.

“Where are they going?” Prompto asked. Gladio shrugged, glancing at Noct and Noctis. He nearly snorted at the identical looks of confusion on their faces.

“Maybe he needs healed, like how the Oracle heals people, you know?” Prompto asked.

Noctis looked at him. “Why in the hell would _he_ need healed?” he spat. “That man wasn’t hurt.”

They all stared at Noctis in shock as the king got out of his seat and stormed out of the diner. He stalked to the caravan, slamming the door behind him. He grabbed a pillow and screamed into it.

What did they know? They knew nothing. Nothing!

Ignis was gone, and that man walking with Lunafreya wasn’t him, no matter what the others thought.

Ignis was dead, and Iggy may as well be.

Noctis curled over himself, sobbing bitter, broken tears.

FFXV

Iggy and Lunafreya walked in silence, moving slowly around scraggly bushes and avoiding the local wildlife. Iggy could see the distinct glow of a haven ahead, and was glad that Lunafreya seemed to be heading in that direction.

They reached the haven, and Lunafreya sat on the edge, feet hanging off the side. Iggy lowered himself next to her. They sat close, sharing warmth.

“I never imagined I’d get to see the stars of Lucis again after heading for Altissia,” Lunafreya said after a while.

Iggy looked at her. Lunafreya stared up, hands in her lap. The weak moonlight made her seem otherworldly, and Iggy swallowed hard. 

He didn’t feel like he belonged sitting next to her.

She smiled at him, dropping her eyes to look at him. “I did not expect to make it past Altissia, Ignis.”

He opened his mouth to refute her calling him that, but she held up her hand.

“You _are_ Ignis. I know you don’t feel like him right now, like you have no right to his name, to be called by your full name, but he didn’t die so you could fade away.”

“He died for you,” Iggy whispered.

Lunafreya nodded. “He did, and I wish to the gods that he hadn’t.”

Iggy stared at her in shock. He felt like he had been struck senseless.

“What…what are you talking about?” Iggy gasped.

She looked at him. “What has Noctis told you about the final showdown with Ardyn?”

“Only that he must die,” Iggy said, looking at her in confusion.

Lunafreya nodded. “Ardyn must be defeated in the beyond. He can’t die, not really, unless his soul is cleansed of darkness, and that can’t be done on this plane of existence. His body can die, but he will keep coming back until his soul is free.”

“Why must it be Noctis then?” Iggy asked.

“The power of kings and the Ring of the Lucii have to be brought against him.”

Iggy was silent for a moment, thinking. “The king cannot purge the darkness from him.”

“No,” she whispered, closing her eyes.

“Only the Oracle can do that.”

She nodded, opening her eyes and looking at him. He stared at her in horror.

“Oh gods,” he whispered, covering his mouth.

“Ignis bought me time,” she said, eyes locked with his, “but I was always meant to be with Noctis when he faced Ardyn.”

Iggy couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. His heart raced, and he felt lightheaded.

“He died for nothing?”

She nodded sadly, eyes bright with tears.

Iggy leaned over, head between his knees. She rubbed his back lightly. “I am dying. It is the price of the covenants. They destroy my body, a little at a time. A slow, painful demise.”

She gave a harsh laugh. “A quick death at Ardyn’s knife would’ve been a relief.”

He lifted his head to look at her. “He can never know. Noctis. He can’t know that Ignis died for nothing. It will destroy him,” he said urgently.

Lunafreya looked at him in sad amazement. Even now, Iggy thought only of easing Noctis’ pain. Even though Noctis would barely acknowledge him.

“I know,” she whispered. “But I have no control over when the gods will take me.”

“You are the _Oracle_!” Iggy cried. “Tell the gods to bloody well wait until the king heads for Insomnia.”

She looked away from the raw pain in his eyes. “I have sent a message to Ravus. I’m hoping he’ll be able to join us.”

“What difference will Ravus make? The king said he is dying too.”

“He is. My brother made a foolish decision when he put on the ring, but an even more foolish one when he took the arm Ardyn offered in replacement. It is corrupting him, killing him. I sent for him because he is my brother, and I want to die with what is left of my family.”

Iggy’s shoulders hunched. “I’m sorry.”

She touched his cheek, startling him. “It is not your fault. I could not keep this secret to myself any longer. I am sorry I burdened you with it, when you have been burdened with enough these past days.” Her hand slipped from his face, landing back in her lap.

“I cannot change what is happening,” she said. “I must be thankful for the gift that Ignis gave me. I got to talk to Noct, Noctis, again. I got to meet you, and Prompto, and the others that have shaped Noct’s life, and I am thankful for that. I only hope I can last the month.”

Iggy took her hand, alarmed at how cool her skin felt. “You are in pain,” he said. It wasn’t a question.

“It’s getting harder and harder to breath,” she whispered.

Iggy held her hand in both of his, trying to warm her up. He stared at how small her hand was in his. His heart twisted.

So much death, all because the gods hadn’t let Ardyn move on when he should’ve died.

Iggy looked down. He felt the rings in his pocket, Lunafreya’s thin hand in his own. In that moment, he _hated_ the gods.

Lunafreya squeezed his hands. “Come. We should go back before the others come looking.”

“What will we tell them?” Iggy asked, getting to his feet and helping her up. She stumbled, cursing quietly as her body continued to betray her.

Iggy held her steady, giving her as much time as she needed.

“Tell them that I wished to hear of Noct’s childhood from his closest friend and advisor and not a book, and of your journey, and we did not wish to hurt the king with our discussions. Tell them that I thought you needed to get out and walk around, that we both did. They will not ask much, I think.”

Iggy nodded, holding his arm out to her again. She rested her fingers on his arm as they slowly started heading back towards the distant lights of Hammerhead.

“It seems you are very good at coming up with lies,” Iggy said quietly.

She glanced up at him. “I’ve spent many years under the thumb of the empire. I’ve had to be good at it.”

He nodded silently. There wasn’t really anything he could say to that.

FFXV

Shiva appeared on the haven the two had vacated, staring after them as frost crawled over the runes.

Her fingers tapped against her thigh.

It wasn’t time yet. Ignis had done his duty. It was halfway done.

She had to speak to Ravus.

The goddess disappeared, the desert night swallowing any frost she left behind.

In the distance, a daemon howled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I'm not sure Noctis could've defeated Ardyn in the beyond without Luna's help, given that she had to heal him. So I'm really interested in your thoughts in this chapter!
> 
> comments and kudos are love!


	16. Chapter Sixteen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Glacian owes him, and Iggy learns the truth of Altissia.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry for the long delay on updating this. I had planned to update this the day after Episode Ignis dropped, but we ended up having to put one of my horses down that day, and the thought of writing this was impossible. So I am sorry that it took so long. I think we're coming up on the close of this story. I can only draw out the intense angst for so long.
> 
> I would love your thoughts on this chapter. Please.

_You owe me, Glacian._

Silence.

_I know you hear me. I have danced to your sick song and done what you required. You_ owe _me this, at least._

**What would you ask me to do?**

_Show him the truth of what happened._

**You were not so keen on him knowing before.**

_I did not expect Noctis to treat him so poorly. He deserves to know._

**Then he will know.**

Silence.

**And we owe you nothing.**

_You owe us everything. Mortal we may be, but we aren’t your playthings any longer. Be gone, Glacian. I grow weary of this._

FFXV

Nearly two weeks had passed since Ignis had died. Noctis counted every day. Every day that passed was another day closer to him being with Ignis again.

He spent his time with Prompto and Noct, mostly. Prompto was a ball of sunshine, doing his damnedest to keep everyone’s spirits up. Noctis spent hours quietly talking to Noct, imparting the knowledge he had gained from the Crystal.

They didn’t speak of Ignis.

Gladio trained with Cor, and the others joined them for at least an hour each day at Cor’s insistence.

The days grew steadily shorter at an alarming rate.

Iggy trained some with Gladio and Cor, and slept beside Noct every night. Noct clung to him at night, and Iggy did his best to comfort him when all he wanted to do was shatter into a million tiny pieces.

At night, Noct would speak to him of what he’d learned from Noctis; of Ardyn, of the gods, the Crystal. Iggy would look over the notes Noctis had taken, quietly pointing at questions he could ask the king.

He spent a lot of time with Lunafreya. She taught him recipes from Tenebrae, and they would talk quietly. He found her to be an engaging companion.

Noctis and Iggy would hardly look at one another. Whenever Noctis walked into a room, Iggy walked out.

He knew it hurt the king to see him, and he never wanted to cause Noctis—Noct, either of them—pain.

He tried not to think about Ignis. Honestly, he tried not to think at all. He helped Takka cook, or practiced with his daggers out of sight. Sometimes he’d go on hunts. 

Like tonight.

Iggy slipped out of Hammerhead and set off into the desert. He couldn’t sleep, strange nightmares of Altissia and purple fire keeping him awake.

He moved through the brush. Many plants were dying, and he came across carcasses of animals. The temperature was growing steadily colder the shorter the days became.

He wore one of Cor’s extra jackets; he had given Lunafreya his.

He came across a pack of goblins and leapt into the battle, daggers and lance swinging through the air and spilling daemon guts on the ground.

He kicked one away as it bit his ankle, fangs catching in his pants.

Iggy stumbled to the nearby haven once they were dead, sinking to the cold stone in relief. He rolled up his pant leg, checking carefully. Good. The bite hadn’t broken the skin.

He sat there a while, staring up at the sky. The stars were getting harder to see, and he missed them.

He missed Noct. It hurt, watching Noct and the king talk for hours. He knew Noct didn’t want to hurt him, but watching him learn how to be king just drove home that Iggy was going to lose him this whole thing was over.

With a sigh, Iggy got to his feet and started to head back to Hammerhead.

Cor was waiting for him, arms crossed. Iggy’s shoulders slumped.

“Marshal.”

“Did you think we wouldn’t notice?” Cor asked quietly. “Lunafreya saw you leave.”

Iggy just stared at the ground. Cor took his arm and led him to Takka’s. 

“Sit,” he said, pushing Iggy into a booth. He went behind the counter and came back a moment later, a bottle of brandy and two glasses in hand. He poured the brandy into the glasses and pushed it into Iggy’s hand. “Drink.”

Iggy stared at the liquid, then downed it in one go. Cor poured him another.

“Talk to me, Ignis.”

Iggy’s shoulders hunched at the name, and Cor noted the flash of panic across his face. Iggy’s face smoothed out, no expression anymore.

“What would you like me to say?” Iggy said after a moment, staring at the contents of his glass.

Cor stared at him in silence, sipping his own brandy. He waited.

Iggy didn’t look at him. He stared at his fingers, curled around the glass. If Cor wasn’t going to talk he could just bloody sit there in silence. Iggy had no interest in talking to him.

He had no interest in much of anything, if he was honest.

The brandy was good though. Maybe enough of it would numb him to the nasty looks the king gave him.

He poured himself a third. Cor’s eyebrow climbed up.

“Ignis, you can’t drink your problems away.”

“Worked for others in the past,” Iggy said, holding his glass possessively.

“No, it doesn’t. What’s bothering you, Ignis?”

“Iggy.”

“Ignis.”

Iggy shot him a dirty look, downing the brandy. It hardly burned going down anymore.

“You are Ignis,” Cor said, grabbing the bottle and pulling it away before Ignis could pour himself another. 

“Tell that to the king.”

“We have,” Cor said. Iggy’s eyes shot briefly to his, and Cor noted the flare of hope in those green eyes. Then he watched it fade.

“Clearly it makes no difference,” Iggy muttered.

“Ignis,” Cor said. Iggy flinched at his name again. Cor frowned. “Ignis, you are important, to Noct, and to Noctis.”

Iggy snorted, staring mournfully at his empty brandy glass.

Cor watched him. Iggy looked away. 

“You’re going hunting alone half hoping to be killed, aren’t you?” Cor whispered. Iggy looked at him, angry.

“What would you know, Marshal?” Iggy spat, fist clenching around the glass.

“You think your death would make up for Ignis’?” Cor asked, voiced rising. “You think you can bring him back by dying yourself?”

“How do you think I feel?” Iggy snarled. “I watched myself die and for what? I’ll tell you, Cor Leonis, for _nothing_!”

The glass shattered in Iggy’s hand. 

Cor sat back, eyes wide. “I doubt Lunafreya would say it was nothing,” he said, reaching forward to look at Iggy’s hand.

Iggy yanked his hand back, blood welling in his palm. “Maybe you should ask the Lady Lunafreya yourself.”

Iggy lurched to his feet, blood dripping onto the tile floor. “I’ll thank you to stay the hell out of my business, Marshal.” He spun on his heel, cradling his hand. 

Noctis stood in the door. He and Iggy stared at each other. Noctis took in his bleeding hand, the wild expression in those green eyes.

Iggy stared at the king. He was paler than he had been when he’d arrived at the camp, thinner, and his eyes were haunted.

Noctis’ lip curled at Iggy, and Iggy shoved past him and into the night.

Cor sighed as the king stepped into Takka’s. He stood up and grabbed a towel, wiping up Iggy’s blood.

“Good talk?” Noctis asked, taking Iggy’s vacated seat.

Cor glanced at him. He could feel a headache coming on. Sometimes he forgot how young they were.

“Counterproductive,” Cor said, throwing the towel in the back and pouring himself another brandy. Noctis took a drink straight from the bottle, making a face.

“You and Ignis were lovers during the long night,” Noctis said after a while. 

Cor looked at his hands. He wasn’t sure what he could say to that.

“Ignis told me, the day after I came back. He said you were good to him, that you retrained him to fight after he was blinded, even when he spent most of his time in Galdin Quay.”

Cor sipped his brandy.

“I was going to tell Ignis to go back to you, after I died. That you would care for him, make sure he wasn’t alone after the sun came up. And you would’ve, wouldn’t you?”

“Yes,” Cor said quietly. He wasn’t sure why Noctis was telling him this.

Noctis nodded. “I was going to tell Ignis to go to you here, in this time. I never got the chance. And now, you’ll never know what he was like.”

“I did not think it was in you to be deliberately cruel,” Cor said. He would wonder now; what would Ignis have been like in bed? Would they have come to love each other?

Noctis watched Cor’s face and smiled bitterly, taking another swig of brandy. “The man who just ran out of here isn’t Ignis. He’ll never be Ignis.”

“He was born Ignis. He and Ignis shared the same life until you both dropped in. Because he has not suffered the same events that you and Ignis had doesn’t make him any less the same man.”

“He’s not my Ignis. He’ll never be my Ignis, even if he clawed his own eyes out and gave his life for me. He is nothing,” Noctis said, standing up and walking out the door.

Cor dropped his head into his hands.

He sat there the rest of the night.

FFXV

Iggy stumbled to the garage, head spinning and hand throbbing. He cradled his hand to his chest and shoved the door to Cid’s office open.

Noct sat up with a start. “Iggy! What happened?”

“Nothing to be concerned with,” Iggy said, dropping onto the cot. Noct sat next to him, taking his hand. 

“Well, you’re bleeding everywhere, and I’d rather not have blood all over our bed. Let me help you clean it up.”

Iggy went still as Noct inspected his hand, pulling out a long shard of glass. Iggy hissed in pain, but didn’t move.

“What did you do?” Noct asked, holding Iggy’s hand gently and healing him. He may not have access to the royal arms or the Astrals anymore, but he was still connected to the Crystal (as the spare, a voice in his head whispered) and he could still use its magic.

“Broke a glass,” Iggy said listlessly, watching as the skin knit back together.

“What did the glass do to you?” Noct asked, trying to lighten the mood.

“It was empty,” Iggy said.

Noct stared at him, his lips curling in a smile. Iggy glanced at him, his own lips twitching.

They sat in silence for a moment, Noct gently massaging Iggy’s hand.

“Noct?” Iggy’s voice cracked. He stared at their hands.

“Yeah?” Noct asked softly. They hadn’t talked much beyond going over what he’d learned from Noctis.

“Do you still love me?”

Noct stared at him, mouth hanging open.

“I—what the heck kind of question is that?” Noct half yelled. “Of course I still love you!”

Iggy dropped his eyes, and Noct grabbed his face.

“Ignis, look at me,” Noct said. He felt Iggy tense at his given name, and Noct’s fingers dug into his cheeks. Iggy lifted his eyes, meeting Noct’s intense blue eyes.

“I will never stop loving you,” Noct said firmly. “You hear me? Never.”

He crushed their lips together, ignoring Iggy’s startled gasp. They had slept side by side, yes, but Iggy had withdrawn whenever Noct tried to touch him.

Noct hadn’t really known how to approach Iggy. Iggy had always been the strong one, the put together one, the one who comforted Noct. And Iggy had comforted Noct, had held him while he cried about the image of Ignis’ body on the bed, on the boat sailing into the west, discovering who had killed his father, listening to the horrors that Noctis told him.

He hadn’t realized (hadn’t wanted to realize) just how hurt Iggy was. No wonder he had been spending more time with Luna.

“I’m sorry if I made you doubt me,” Noct said against Iggy’s mouth. He pushed Iggy back, straddling his waist. His fingers deftly unbuttoned his shirt.

“Let me love you,” Noct whispered.

Iggy nodded, pulling him down for a hard kiss.

Later, long after they fell asleep, Ignis dreamed of purple fire.

FFXV

Another, shorter, day. One day closer to being with Ignis again.

FFXV

Iggy stood in Takka’s, cooking up dinner. He was alone; the others had gone on a hunt earlier in the day. It was better that he wasn’t there. He couldn’t get the look Noctis had given him the night before out of his mind. 

He cursed when he realized he was burning the vegetables. Not that Noct or Noctis would care. He threw them away, trying not to cry at his mistake.

He felt useless. What had he done since Ignis’ death? Not a damn thing. Avoided the king, avoided his own thoughts, tried not to fall apart in front of the others.

Lunafreya was sleeping. She had grown more wan and thinner as the weeks passed. Iggy cursed the gods for stealing her life, for Ignis dying unnecessarily, for not putting him out of his misery.

Iggy heard the rumble of the truck and looked up. They were back from their hunt. He finished the meat, slicing it thin for sandwiches instead of the meat and vegetable stew he had planned. 

He finished prepping the sandwiches and left them on the bar. He took two, one for him and one for Lunafreya, and slipped out of the diner before Noctis could see him. 

He left the sandwich in the caravan for Lunafreya and slipped back out, sitting alone and eating quickly. It tasted like ash in his mouth. 

He heard the door open and turned, seeing Lunafreya walk out with her sandwich in hand. 

“I didn’t mean to wake you,” Iggy said apologetically.

“You didn’t,” she assured him, sitting next to him. “Thank you for the sandwich.”

He nodded, taking another half hearted bite of his own sandwich. She watched him. He had been losing weight, and had dark circles constantly under his eyes. 

He looked nearly as bad as she did.

They ate in silence, listening to the sounds coming from the diner.

“You could join them, Lady Lunafreya,” Iggy said suddenly.

“They’re a bit overwhelming, honestly. I just wish Ravus would get back to me…”

Iggy nodded. 

The sun had set hours ago, earlier than usual. 

“Cards?” Iggy asked.

Lunafreya nodded. It had become routine for the two of them to play cards at night. She pulled out the deck and shuffled it, dealing the cards out.

They played in an easy silence.

Iggy thought it was rather like the dead and they dying playing cards together. They had no words they needed to say.

FFXV

Noct watched from Takka’s as Luna and Iggy played cards. He was tired and sore from the hunt and just wanted to sleep. He finished his sandwich and glanced at Noctis.

The king looked as tired as Iggy and Luna. Most of the time he was sullen and withdrawn, counting the days until he left for Insomnia to put an end to it all.

Noct shuddered, remembering how the king had fought the pack of daemons; with abandon, like he was daring them to kill him.

Noct was terrified that Noctis would die and where would that leave him? A king again, but of what?

He had talked with Cor in their down time. If Noctis failed, Noct would have to go back and reacquire all the Royal Arms and the covenants with the gods. They both agreed that the gods would not be happy about that. 

He had noticed Cor watching Iggy, a sad look on his face. He wondered at that, at the wistful, wondering, near heartbroken, expression on Cor’s face.

He didn’t ask though. It seemed to be a private sort of pain. They were all dealing with their pain in their own ways.

He sighed and sipped his drink, eyes drawn back outside.

He sat up straight. “What the hell?”

“What?” Prompto asked, turning around. “Is that…Gentiana?”

Noctis spun from where he was talking to Gladio, eyes widening at the sight of Gentiana. 

“What the hell is she doing here?” Noctis spat. He stood up, and the others followed him outside.

Lunafreya looked up, eyes widening as Gentiana strode towards them. She hoped that the messenger had word from Ravus. 

Iggy turned, frowning as Gentiana stood next to him. Lunafreya struggled to her feet.

“Gentiana?” Lunafreya asked.

“He wishes you to know what happened,” Gentiana said stiffly, looking down at Iggy.

“What?” Iggy said.

Noctis stood, frozen at Gentiana’s words. She couldn’t possibly mean what he thought she meant.

Gentiana reached out and touched Iggy’s head. “See through his eyes.”

Iggy clawed at his face, screaming as he fell from the chair.

FFXV

He stood back to back with Ravus, cutting through the Magitek troopers before them. They came upon the altar, and Ravus let out a heartbroken cry.

Lunafreya was dead. He moved to Noctis, preparing to kill him, and Ignis fought back.

Gladio, but it wasn’t Gladio, he didn’t talk like Gladio, walked forward, and he melted into Ardyn.

He was held to the ground by metal hands, writhing as Ardyn held a dagger to Noctis’ throat, begging for his life.

He was given a choice; stay with Noctis and continue sinking, or go with Ardyn.

It was never a choice. He would never leave Noctis.

He put on the Ring of the Lucii, and he and Ardyn fought in the rain.

He failed. He failed to destroy the Accursed and he failed to save Noctis.

He fell to the ground, the ring rolling between their hands. He heard footsteps and he stared at Noctis as his vision started to fade.

“Forgive me…”

FFXV

Noct shouted and ran forward. What was happening? Was Iggy going blind? He dropped to his knees next to Iggy, helping Luna try to calm him. 

Noctis stared as Iggy thrashed, clawing at his left eye and screaming.

He felt a wave of horror. Was Gentiana—Shiva—taking away Iggy’s vision? Why would the gods do that to him?

There was another, smaller part of him, that part of him that had grown bitter and hateful since Ignis’ death, thought that it was fitting. He hated himself for thinking that, but he couldn’t stop those thoughts.

He watched as Lunafreya and Noct cradled Iggy’s body. Gentiana stood there, staring placidly down at Iggy.

“What are you doing here?” Noctis growled at the goddess.

“Balancing a debt,” she said.

FFXV

_Iggy found himself standing on the balcony of the royal suite of the Leville. The city was completely dark and silent._

_“Am I dead?” he whispered. His hands shook with the force of what he had seen. He stared at his hand._

_Ignis had worn the ring. No wonder he had never told Noctis._

_“Not dead,” his own voice came from behind him. Iggy turned, gasping as his older self walked out of the hotel room. “You deserved to know what happened.”_

_Iggy swallowed, staring at the scars. He understood. Gods above, he understood._

_He knew he would’ve done the same. Even now. If he could spare both Noctis and Noct by wearing the ring, he would do it._

_Even if the price was his life._

_“Why now?” Iggy asked hoarsely._

_Ignis turned to face him. “Because you deserve to know, to understand. Because you don’t deserve how Noctis has treated you, and I’m so sorry for it.”_

_Iggy turned away, chin quivering. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder._

_“Forgive me,” Ignis said, “for keeping it from you before. It was selfish of me. I did not want to relive it, and it was detrimental to you.”_

_“You didn’t have to die,” Iggy said suddenly, thinking of what Lunafreya had told him._

_Ignis smiled sadly, tracing his fingers over Iggy’s face. “But I did. Had I not died now, I would’ve wasted away after Noctis. It is best this way. This…this is what the gods had planned since the moment Noctis and I were brought to the past.”_

_“It’s so unfair,” Iggy whispered._

_“The gods do not care about us, no matter what they say,” Ignis said darkly. “Be cautious of whatever they tell you. Especially Shiva. She has ulterior motives.”_

_Iggy rubbed his forehead. He wished he and Noct had run away._

_“Ignis, the main reason I wanted you to know…use the knowledge if you must. You do not deserve the way Noctis is treating you.”_

_“He will hate me if I tell him what you did,” Iggy whispered. “More than he already does.”_

_“He will hate_ me _,” Ignis said firmly. “He does not hate you. He doesn’t know how to separate the two of us.”_

_“I don’t know how to separate us,” Iggy said._

_“I know. I wish we had had more time. I wish the two of us had not been afraid of each other, but we cannot change it. It is over and done, and all the wishing in the world won’t bring me back. You are Ignis Scientia, remember that. Even if Noctis does not wish to believe it, you are Ignis.”_

_“I…don’t know who I am anymore,” Iggy whispered._

_“You are a brave and good man,” Ignis said, taking Iggy’s face in his hands. “You are Ignis Scientia, and you are loved. Do not despair, for I do not. I know Noctis will succeed, and he will join me. Do not weep for me, Ignis, for I am beyond all of you now.”_

_Iggy stared at him, crying out as purple fire engulfed Ignis’ face._

_He could feel the fire burning him as it did Ignis, he could hear the voices of the old kings and the gods, and Ignis making a deal with them not to show the truth to Noctis._

_“Forgive me,” Ignis whispered, his lips grazing Iggy’s forehead._

_Iggy screamed, and everything went black._

FFXV

“Forgive me,” Iggy croaked. He sat up with a yell, looking around wildly. Noct moved closer, perching on the edge of his bed.

“Iggy!” Noct said, taking his hand. “Are you okay? You’ve been out of it for hours.”

Iggy ran his fingers through his hair, staring at his hands. His head pounded, but he could see.

“What happened?” Iggy asked.

“Gentiana showed up, and after she touched you, you started screaming and then passed out. Cor carried you here. Luna said that you didn’t seem injured, even though you were screaming. What happened?”

Iggy rubbed at his face. He looked around, half surprised he could see. He had lived through what Ignis had done in Altissia, and he half expected to be blind.

“Ignis showed me what happened in Altissia,” Iggy said quietly.

Noct blinked. “What? We saw what happened…”

Iggy shook his head. “No. What happened to him the first time. How he went blind.”

Noct’s eyes widened. “What? What happened?”

Iggy ran his fingers over his left eye, where the scars would’ve been. He looked at Noct. He considered not telling him. It was hard. He felt as if it had happened to him, and part of him didn’t wish to burden Noct with the knowledge.

He took a deep breath. Look at where secrecy had gotten them.

He took Noct’s hand, and told him everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please tell me what you think. Comments and Kudos are love.


	17. Chapter Seventeen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cor says goodbye to Regis, Ravus learns the truth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait on this chapter. I have to be in the right mood for this story. I thought this chapter flowed pretty well though. This is a Lunafreya and Ravus heavy chapter. Noctis et al are hardly in it at all. We are slowly nearing the end. I think there's only going to be a few more chapters as we wind this angst fest down.
> 
> not beta-ed

Lunafreya coughed, covering her mouth with a handkerchief that Iggy had given her. She pulled it back and stared at the blood spotting it. Every day it grew harder and harder to breathe, to move. The covenants were sapping her strength, the gods preparing to exact their price.

The Oracle was dying.

She wiped her lips, tucking the handkerchief away. She looked up. Iggy was watching her, his glazed eyes sad.

She smiled as best she could, dealing the next hand out in their nightly game of cards.

Nearly three weeks had passed since Ignis’ death. They were growing ever closer to the end.

She wasn’t sure she could make it.

She still hadn’t heard from Ravus, and she feared for him.

FFXV

Noctis watched Iggy and Luna, a frown on his face as Luna stopped to cough. She couldn’t seem to stop, and Iggy stood up and rubbed the Oracle’s back.

He had noticed Lunafreya growing weaker. He didn’t know what it meant. He hardly spoke to her. She was as much a reminder of Ignis’ death as Iggy was. She was alive because Ignis was dead, and there was a part of him that hated her for it.

He watched as Iggy comforted her, mouth moving in words he couldn’t hear. He wondered what they spoke of, but he wouldn’t ask. He didn’t want to be around either of them. 

A little over one week, and then he would walk into the city and embrace his destiny.

He would die, but he would see Ignis again.

Nothing else mattered.

FFXV

Noct and Noctis sparred, blades flashing as they rapidly switched weapons. Although Noct couldn’t access the Royal Arms, he could still change weapons in a flash. Cor thought it would be good practice for Noctis’ battle with Ardyn.

They knew Ardyn wouldn’t just lie down and let Noctis kill his physical body. The former king didn’t have that in him. He would taunt and fight and try to hurt Noctis before the end.

Cor told Noctis to expect Ardyn to use Ignis against him. Noctis said nothing and just walked away.

Cor watched them battle. Noctis actually seemed to almost enjoy sparring with his younger counterpart. Occasionally he would stop, correcting Noct’s stance with a certain weapon, showing him moves that worked for his body type.

There was no better teacher for Noct. Noctis knew everything about him, his best moves, his weak spots, everything.

For Noctis, battling Noct was like looking in a mirror and seeing himself as he had been. He could see the determination in Noct’s eyes, the same determination that had once filled him as he learned of his father’s death. He could see the hope when Noct laid eyes on Iggy, and he watched that hope fade as Iggy shuffled through Hammerhead like the ghost of his older self.

Noctis hated the way he himself couldn’t help but to seek Iggy out with his eyes. He knew he was treating the younger man intensely unfairly, but he couldn’t stop himself from lashing out at him. Seeing Iggy hurt, but he kept seeking the man out.

It reminded him that he would be with his Ignis soon, not the pale shadow that Iggy was.

He watched Iggy every day, digging that knife in a little deeper every time he met those green eyes.

FFXV

Lunafreya walked slowly into Takka’s, eyes sweeping the mostly empty booths. Iggy was with Noct and Gladio, the three having gone a hunt. Noctis, as far as she knew, was with Prompto and Iris. She smiled when she saw Cor Leonis sitting alone, sharpening his katana.

She sat next to him, breathing as deeply as she could.

Cor set his katana on the table, looking at her.

“Lady Lunafreya,” he said, bowing his head in greeting.

“I’ve asked you to call me Luna, or Lunafreya at the very least,” she said, lips curling in a smile.

“So you have,” Cor agreed. He looked over the young woman. She looked tired and wan, thinner than she had been weeks ago. He wondered if it was the stress or something more. He remembered when he tried to talk to Iggy, and the man’s words about asking Lunafreya about Ignis’ death.

He hadn’t brought it up yet.

She reached a small hand out and touched the katana. “A beautiful weapon,” she said.

“Thank you,” Cor said. “It was a gift from Regis.”

She watched as a frown tightened across his brow. Thinking of Regis’ death still hurt him. She reached out and touched his hand.

He started slightly, looking at how very small her hand looked against his. Her skin was cool, and he realized how cold it had gotten.

“He sent you away because you were the only one he trusted to help see Noctis…Noct…through. He trusted you, he loved you, Cor.” She took his hands in hers, running her thumbs over the back of his hands, marveling in the strength in those hands.

“I just…I wish he had told me. I wish I had gotten to properly say goodbye,” Cor said, eyes still locked on their hands.

“Have you told him goodbye? Have you taken a moment and whispered your feelings to him?”

“He’s dead, Lunafreya.”

“Do you think those that we love ever truly leave us? Just because his physical body is no more does not mean he can’t hear you. My mother, Regis, Clarus, Nyx, Ignis…they are free of their mortal bonds, free of the gods who would control our lives. They watch us, and they wait for us to join them.”

Cor blinked at her, tears rolling silently down his cheeks. “Are they sad?”

Lunafreya shook her head, smiling slightly and squeezing his hands. “They rejoice that we still live. They know that we will join them when our time has come. Where they are…there is no pain, only joy, and love.”

Cor looked at her, hands twitching in hers.

“Come with me,” she said, standing slowly. She tugged on his hands, pulling him to his feet. She looked up at him, struck by how tall he was.

“Then let us farewell Regis,” she said softly, slowly leading him from the diner. He followed her numbly. They walked to the caravan, and she picked up the old hammer that Cid had given Noct.

“Regis loved that stupid thing,” Cor said with a laugh, choking on his tears.

Lunafreya just smiled and took his hand. They walked to the back of the garage, and together they knelt.

“I don’t know what to do,” Cor said quietly.

Lunafreya set the hammer on the ground. “The hammer is simply something for you to focus on. Say what comes to your heart. I can leave you alone.”

“Please don’t,” Cor said. Her presence was calming, soothing. She smiled at him, sitting quietly at his side. She rested her hand on his shoulder, and he took a deep breath.

“Regis…My king,” Cor whispered, fingers running over the words Regis had long ago etched onto the hammer. “I don’t…I don’t know if I have done what you wanted. I have tried to lead the prince…the king…but knowing his fate…knowing you sent me away knowing you would die…I blame myself. What good am I if I can’t protect the king with my life? I should’ve been there for you. I should’ve…I should’ve….” He broke down, finally letting himself cry for Regis, for once again failing to die.

The Immortal, they called him. It was a curse.

Lunafreya gathered him in her arms, letting him cry for his dead king. She rested her cheek against his head, her own tears falling into his hair.

“I thank you, Regis,” she said quietly, “for everything. It’s almost over. Farewell.”

She took a deep breath. There was one more she had never said goodbye to. Another that had given his life for her.

“Nyx Ulric. You stood against the gods and the old kings to get me out of the city. I wish it hadn’t cost you your life. Thank you, for giving me the chance to escape, to fulfill my sacred duty.”

Cor stilled in her arms, listening to her whisper her goodbyes to another good man. She had given them the bare basics of what had happened during the fall, but he knew she kept the worst of it to herself.

“Goodbye, Nyx. I hope you are happy now, and I hope you reunited with you family.”

Cor sat up, her hands still on his shoulder. He looked at the hammer again.

“Goodbye, Regis,” Cor whispered. “Godspeed.”

They sat together in the perpetual dusk, Lunafreya’s small hands engulfed by Cor’s.

FFXV

That night, long after Iggy, Noct, and Gladio returned from their hunt, Cor joined Iggy and Lunafreya for cards. Iggy didn’t think it was strange. Besides that one failed conversation between them, Cor didn’t bother him. The older man seemed quieter, freer. Iggy wondered what had brought about that change.

He envied the change in Cor. He only felt like a noose was tightening around his neck. He watched Noct learn from the king and he mourned. He dreamed of losing his sight in Altissia, of rings heavy around his finger, of his blood mingling with rainwater on the steps of the altar.

He dreamed of Ignis, and of Noctis, and of a Gladio that berated Noctis on a train Iggy had never been on, of a mine he had never visited. He dreamed of darkness and ruin, and when he woke, he only saw more ruin.

He just didn’t know if it was his own ruin, or the world’s. 

Lunafreya dealt the cards, explaining the rules of the Tenebraen game she and Iggy played to Cor as she did. Cor nodded. He had played a variation of the game before.

Iggy noted that Lunafreya, while still wan and thin, looked less sad. He wondered at that, and wanted to ask what the two had done to chase the ghosts of the dead from their eyes.

He was too afraid. He felt that he deserved the ghosts.

Lunafreya and Cor talked about nothing, Iggy sometimes adding to the conversation, but otherwise just enjoying the companionship.

They had been playing for an hour when Lunafreya gasped, cards falling from her hands. She let out a cry, clutching her chest and falling from the chair.

Iggy cursed, dropping his cards and nearly throwing himself over the table to get to her. The gods couldn’t be taking her now! If she died now and Noctis realized that Ignis’ sacrifice had been for naught…he dreaded what the king would do. He feared he’d have to see his own dear Noct take up the reins, and eventually sacrifice himself.

Cor knelt next to them. Lunafreya seemed to be seizing, body rigid and eyes rolled back. He was vaguely aware of the sound of booted feet and the press of bodies around them as the others rushed out of the diner.

“What’s happening?” Noctis said, horrified at the sight of Lunafreya twitching on the ground. Was she dying? She couldn’t die. Not after Ignis had died to save her.

Cor half held her as Iggy talked to her, cupping her face in gloved hands.

Lunafreya let out a heart wrenching cry and went limp, breathing shallowly. Iggy let out a relieved sigh. She was still alive, at least for the moment. 

“Lady Lunafreya?” Iggy whispered, acutely aware of the king standing at his back. “Lady Lunafreya?”

Her eyes flew open, and Iggy was shocked to see how vibrant and full of life they seemed. She grabbed his wrist, sitting up and then half collapsing back against Cor’s broad chest. Cor steadied her.

“Luna?” Iggy asked, daring to call her familiarly. Noctis twitched behind him.

“It’s gone,” she choked out, grip tightening on Ignis’ wrist. “It’s gone.”

“What’s gone?” Iggy asked, worried. “Lunafreya?”

She slumped backwards against Cor, staring at Iggy with wide eyes. 

“The power of the Oracle. It has left me.”

FFXV

Ravus stood in his tiny quarters in Zegnautus, hands on the rim of his sink. Sweat beaded across his brow, and his teeth were gritted in pain. He could feel the scourge twisting through his body, pulsing with every beat of his heart as the corruption spread from his arm.

What a fool he’d been, both in thinking he could wield the Ring of the Lucii, and in taking the cursed arm from Ardyn to replace it.

He cursed and slammed his fist against the mirror, staring at his fractured reflection. Broken, useless. What good was he? He could no longer protect his sister, because he didn’t know where she was.

He still didn’t know what had happened in Altissia. He only knew that, from Ardyn’s perspective, it had gone horribly wrong.

He thought back to Altissia, before Noctis and his retainers had shown up. He remembered Ardyn’s words.

_“I know the price of the covenants.”_

How? How could he know? He had always suspected something was different about Ardyn Izunia, from the time he had met the man after the fall of Tenebrae. Ardyn had professed to care about him and his sister, advocating for letting them live.

Ravus didn’t care. He had half wanted to die. 

His mother was dead, the king of Lucis was a coward only concerned with saving his own son. He wanted nothing to do with life. If his sister hadn’t been there, he would’ve ended his own life.

He hated that Lunafreya had never harbored King Regis any ill will, even as she took the mantle of Oracle at a horrifically young age. She had always spoken fondly of the king, and of Noctis, and he hated her for it.

He threw himself into the Imperial Army. It gave him an outlet for his aggression, his hatred. He honed his skills, every Magitek he cut down in training wearing Regis’ face in his mind.

Ardyn nurtured that hate, watching with a smile.

Ravus remembered the day Ardyn had whispered words of a peace treaty in Aldercapt’s ears, one of the caveats being the marriage of his sister to the coward king’s son.

Ravus wondered if things would’ve been different if he had allowed Lunafreya to escape Tenebrae when she tried, instead of dragging her into Insomnia with the rest of the imperial contingent. 

He wondered how things would’ve changed if Ardyn hadn’t whispered tales of the Ring of the Lucii and the Crystal in the emperor’s ear.

Ravus had believed he could wield the power of the ring. He was royal blood, he was of the line of the Oracle.

“What a fool I was,” he whispered, staring down at his daemonic arm.

Maybe he had half hoped that the old kings would strike him down, kill him. Instead they found him wanting and burned his arm from his body. It was the kind of pain he imagined his mother had gone through as she took the brunt of the flame for him all those years ago.

He had been relieved when he realized that Lunafreya had escaped the destruction of the city and the betrayal of the Glaives. He wouldn’t have known, except for Ardyn.

“Your sister wakes the Archean,” Ardyn had said one day. Ravus had closed his eyes, schooling his face in the way he had learned was necessary under imperial rule, and silently rejoiced.

Lunafreya lived.

Umbra came to him, not long after the debacle with Titan. He had a letter from Lunafreya, and thus began Ravus’ deception of the empire. He tried to make sure they were always a step behind his sister.

Lunafreya believed with her whole being that Noctis was the chosen one, and nothing Ravus could say would deter her.

They finally saw each other, and Lunafreya cried when she saw his arm. 

“Oh, Ravus, why?” she whispered, cringing away from the scourge filled appendage.

“I needed an arm,” Ravus said stiffly, “the chancellor was accommodating.”

Lunafreya wrapped her hands around his shoulder, where the arm joined his flesh. He gasped as he felt warmth pulse through him, the scourge twisting away from the light of the Oracle.

“It will kill you,” she whispered softly.

“I know, sister,” Ravus said.

She dropped her hands. “I have only delayed the inevitable.”

“That is all we can ever do.”

Ravus brought himself out of his memories. He didn’t know exactly what had happened in Altissia, but he knew his sister lived. 

For the moment.

He knew the cost of the dawn. It had gotten steadily darker since that day in Altissia. The emperor was dead, and Ravus was certain Ardyn had done it. The Crystal had disappeared with the Chancellor.

Why hadn’t he left with Aranea?

“Because you are a fool,” he said to himself, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

He stared at his replacement arm, concentrating on the feel of the scourge pulsing through it. 

He suddenly realized he could see his breath.

He shot to his feet, hand going to a sword that had vanished a few days before Altissia. He hadn’t gotten used to not having Regis’ sword at his belt. He didn’t know where it had gone.

Gentiana stood before him, Umbra at her feet.

“Messenger,” he said curtly, arms falling to his side.

Gentiana had gotten his sister out of Lucis, had allowed them to see each other one last time, but he did not trust her. It had been then, when he and Lunafreya had been briefly reunited in Tenebrae, that she had told him the truth about Ardyn Izunia. Accursed King.

Umbra bounded forward, and Ravus noticed a letter tucked into his collar. He knelt, pulling the letter free and standing up. He turned his back on Gentiana and unfolded the paper.

_My dear brother,_  
I am alive, though my time is short. Somehow, Noctis came from the future with his advisor, and they have tried to change my fate. Ignis sacrificed his life for me, and I have not the heart to tell Noctis that his beloved died for no reason. I am in Hammerhead with them, in Leide, and I am dying. We both knew this was the cost, and I have told you that I must be beside the king when he faces the Accursed one in the beyond. This is not the death I anticipated. This is a slow thing, eating away at me. I was to have died on the altar, I know that now. I write to you in hopes that you can make it to Leide, to me. I would see you again before I die. I know we did not always see eye to eye about Noctis, and Regis, but you are still my brother and I love you dearly. Please, Ravus. I beg you. Come to my side. Maybe I can explain what happened when I see you.  
Love always,  
Your sister, Lunafreya 

Ravus sat on the bed, the letter trembling in his hands.

“So…that’s what happened in Altissia?” he asked hoarsely. “The king’s beloved died in her place?”

How strange to think that Noctis had a beloved. He had been set to marry his sister, but it had been a political marriage.

Gentiana bowed her head. “The hand of the king did what was required of him.”

“What was required of him?” Ravus spat, leaping to his feet. “Dying to prolong my sister’s suffering?”

“Dying so your sister may live,” Gentiana said, her form melting away to reveal the Glacian standing before him.

Ravus stared the goddess down. He would bow to no one, not even a goddess.

“You know as well as she that to bring this damn prophecy to a close the Oracle has to stand next to the chosen king in the beyond,” Ravus said, Lunafreya’s letter crumbled in his fist.

Shiva stared at him. “One imbued with the power of the Oracle must die with the chosen king to bring about the dawn, yes.”

“Then the hand of the king died for nothing.”

“No. He did as was required. You can save your sister, Ravus Nox Fleuret.”

Ravus went still. “What?” he hissed.

Shiva looked at him, ice swirling around the room. Ravus could feel ice forming on his skin.

“I did not bring the king back into the past solely to spare him the pain of sacrifice. He is not my concern. But in my eons of existence, I have come to love a few, and your sister is one of them. I brought them back to save Lunafreya, but you must not be a coward if it is to work.”

“I am not a coward!” he bellowed.

“Then you will save her?”

Ravus stared at the goddess. They were nothing but playthings for the gods. The prophecy, the Crystal, the Ring, all proof that the gods did not hold mortals in high regard. He had grown up reading the same books as Lunafreya, hearing the same stories. Only the chosen king and Oracle could save the world from darkness.

He thought of his sister. He had always wanted her to live a normal life, to love and laugh and grow old with someone she loved. He remembered how their mother had cried when word had come from Lucis that the Crystal had chosen the young prince Noctis.

Lucis and Tenebrae would lose much. Sylva and Regis mourned their children from the moment the Crystal had chosen Noctis.

Ravus turned away. If Noctis had come from the future, than the Noctis from _this_ timeline could have a chance at a normal life, just like Lunafreya. 

They deserved it.

He turned back to the Glacian. “What must I do?” he asked.

Shiva smiled at him, the warmth of the smile never reaching the ice of her eyes.

“You are of the line of the Oracle. I will awaken those powers in you, we will make a covenant, and you will die. There, you will await the king.”

“Men cannot be Oracles,” Ravus said. “They have never been Oracles.”

“Once, there was a king who could heal as the Oracles can,” Shiva said, her voice taking on a distant quality. “It was after he was Accursed that Bahamut decreed that only women should have his power. They are easier to control, or so he thought.”

“Ardyn,” Ravus muttered. So it was true. He had once been a king, just as his sister had said. Had Lunafreya known all along?

He lifted his eyes to Shiva’s. “Won’t the Draconian punish you for all of this?”

Shiva smiled, her teeth flashing in the dark. “I am already dead. He can do nothing to me.”

Ravus looked at the letter in his hand. “May I write to her? Before?”

Shiva nodded, and Ravus hurried to his desk. He pulled out a sheet of paper and a pen, hurriedly writing in the cold. He wrote briefly, succinctly, and pressed his lips against the letter in a kiss. He knelt, tucking it into Umbra’s collar.

“Take this to her, please.”

Umbra licked his cheek, paw on his knee. Ravus stood up, turning to face Shiva.

“You swear to me that this will set her free? She will be a normal woman, able to live a normal life?”

“I swear it,” Shiva said, stepping closer. Ravus hoped the goddess kept her word.

“Then I am ready.”

Shiva touched his forehead, and Ravus screamed. He felt the scourge burn from his body, ice raging through his body. He wasn’t aware of the dull thump of his arm falling from him as it died.

He felt power as he had never known erupt to life inside him; the power of the Oracle, the power to commune with the gods. He fell to the ground, eyes rolling back.

“Together we forge this covenant,” Shiva whispered, lifting Ravus as though he weighed nothing. She put him in his bed. “I give my covenant to this Oracle, and to the true king.”

Ravus’ body arched off the bed, ice spreading across his body.

He closed his eyes, the cold of the Glacian spreading through his veins.

It was far easier death than he felt he deserved.

“Lunafreya,” he whispered, the ice freezing the ghost of his words on his lips.

Ravus, the last Oracle, was dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are live

**Author's Note:**

> Comments and kudos are love and I'd love to know what you guys think so far!


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